Playing with Fire
by Lilybee25
Summary: Ah, the age-old idiom, "If you play with fire, you get burned." Does that still apply when one fire demon falls for another? The adventures of Natsumi and the YYH gang.
1. Chapter 1

Panting heavily, she reached up for another rock to climb. _Just think about the motions_ she told herself. _Left, right, left...and up_. When she had pulled herself up on the cliff she gave out an exasperated sigh. _Why did it have to be tonight? The moon, although beautiful, is going to give us away. _Her ice blue eyes scanned the area and finally focused on three shadows near the edge of the trees. She swiftly ran to meet her accomplices. "What took you so long?" Goukai sneered. The brute known as Goukai was a burly built, nine foot tall demon.

"I made it on time." I stated defensively.

"Natsumi, are you ready to do this?" Kurama asked.

"Don't mess this up for us or yours will be the first blood on my blade tonight." Hiei stated coldly.

I nodded. "Let's go."

The four of us sped inside the building and began searching for the artifact vault. I was to be the eyes of the operation and take down anyone or anything that would give us away. Did I want something from the vault? No. I was helping these three because...why not? A chance to break into something? The thrill of perhaps getting to kill or get caught? Footprints were heard and I began preparing for my attack. Once in my line of sight, I charged at the guards full speed and knocked them over. I took my daggers and began slicing the guards in various places. It's not that I don't like to aim or be precise...well maybe it is but I also wanted my poisons to work a little faster and their blood to fly a little farther. I felt the guys behind me and knew that our time was done here. We made our clean escape.

At our little makeshift camp in the middle of the woods, Goukai was pleased he had the Orb of Baast in his hand. The orb itself was a glowing green sphere that apparently takes human souls. Kurama was content with the Forlorn Hope, a mirror that held the power to grant any wish to come true at the price of the users life and Hiei was pleased he held the shadow sword- one scratch and a non demon will become an E class demon- in his possession. I'm sure they all had their reasons for wanting these things and I would just leave it at that, no need to be nosy. Kurama suddenly stood up and said he was leaving our alliance. He urged me to do the same. I was taken aback, Goukai made it known he was pleased and Hiei was furious. Hiei gave chase to Kurama and I seized the opportunity of ditching Goukai, running in another direction. I didn't know where I wanted to go until I saw the portal to the mortal world. I closed my eyes and jumped forward. I landed on soft grass. My eyes began searching if anyone was near me. I heightened my awareness to feel if there were other demons here. There weren't, lucky me, I guess.

It didn't look difficult trying to fit in. Nearly all of these humans were unaware of their surroundings. I decided that I would only walk around at night, considering my clothes weren't suited to fit in with the humans. _I_ didn't have a problem with my attire but something told me the humans would if they were to see me. I was lucky on my second night wandering around looking for something "normal" to wear. A line with clothes hanging out to dry in a backyard caught my attention. There were two school outfits blowing gently in the night air. I took a leap and landed quietly next to one of them. Within seconds, I had a new outfit and jumped back up into the safety of a tree that was close by. _How early do the girls begin walking to school? What school will I say I'm from if I'm questioned?_ I slapped my forehead. _I can just follow the girl to wherever she goes!_ I stopped and began to panic. _SHOES! Shoes you dummy! You can't go waltzing around in your boots! _I inwardly groaned as I set off to try to find shoes. I came across a decent sized house, and spotted shoes outside. Preparing to spring for the shoes I froze. A girl was sneaking out of her room. _I don't have time for this. She's going to give me her shoes. _I silently made my way behind the girl. Before she could turn around I knocked her out with the butt of my dagger. I caught her as she fell and decided to at least take her inside. I gently placed her on the floor by the front and shut the door behind me. I scooped up the shoes and sprinted back only to pass a human boy. Without hesitation, I knocked him out as well. _Stay indoors, kids. It's safer there_ I chuckled to myself and jumped to my tree spot. Feeling satisfied, I changed my clothes in the tree and put on the albeit tight shoes and slowly dozed off.

I woke as the sun began to peek through the leaves of my tree. I did a quick check to see if anyone was near me and gracefully jumped down the tree. I quickly combed my fingers through my hair and began looking for the school I would supposedly be attending._ Well, so much for the humans being unaware. _I began to receive questionable peeks, glances and full on stares. _Act like you know where you're-_ "Hey!" I exclaimed as I saw a familiar redhead walking along. Kurama looked up, surprised to see me. His eyes widened and his jaw visibly opened as he recognized me. He then smiled and waved, making his way over to me.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a sickeningly polite way.

"So I ditched Goukai because I didn't like him and it was awkward...I thought I would come here?" I smiled and laughed sheepishly.

"We need to make this quick." He began walking so I followed along. "You must refer to me as Shuichi around here."

"Okay."

"We need to get you some clothes."

"Okay. Wait what?"

"Your shirt and shoes are a bit too tight, I'm afraid" he said softly, a light blush began to appear.

"Well I'm not going to just **happen** upon a girl that is exactly my size" I pouted.

"It's okay, we'll get you sorted out for the time being. Just let me do all the talking." I nodded.

Kurama was actually a really smooth talker. I had to give him credit, he could probably get the bankers to hand money over to him. I got a uniform that actually fit complete shoes and a class schedule. I assured him that I probably wouldn't do well in his classes, considering I've never really gone to school. We agreed that we would meet after school at the office and my day began. What a whirlwind of things these kids had to learn! I felt so out of place in my classes. My mind was numb and I was straining to stay awake. At last, freedom rang. Well, the bell did, and that was close enough. I sprinted out of the class and to the office. Kurama was already there, waiting. He let out a small chuckle upon seeing me.

"Rough day?"He asked.

I shook my head, "I'm exhausted."

"We need to make a stop somewhere first, is that alright?"

"Oh yeah! Don't let me hold you back, I can keep up as long as there isn't history involved."

We begin our walk through the city and to the seaside, where there was a cave. I felt a familiar spirit energy looked up at Kurama, to the cave and began to run towards it. I could feel Kurama following close behind. We both entered the cave to see that Hiei was not alone. There was a human girl there that had been cut by the shadow sword and a human boy that was trying to fight Hiei in his demon form. Kurama had stepped in and took a hit from the sword and used his blood to blind Hiei's jagan eye. I could only look in horror as I witnessed Kurama protecting these humans. Then, the boy used his spirit energy to make a spirit gun and aimed it at the Forlorn Hope. It bounced off of it and was heading straight towards Hiei's back.

"Hiei!" I screamed a nanosecond before he got hit. I bolted to him to catch him from falling face first on the ground."Why did you turn on him? On us?!" I demanded. I carefully laid Hiei down, then I reached for my daggers keeping my distance from the two boys.

"Natsumi, I told you in the forest to get out of this," Kurama began explaining, "Yusuke is charged with returning the artifacts back to Spirit World, not our lives."

"So what? You...you side with Yusuke so you won't die?" my words dripped with venom.

"Hiei is only knocked out. We will take him to see Koenma. You're going too." Kurama stated.

"Maybe it's best." I replied darkly.

Kurama picked up Hiei and I followed him, Yusuke trailing after me. I was not happy at all. My blood was boiling. I was seething. The scene played out repeatedly in my head. Hiei getting hit from behind, what a coward move. I was taken out of my brooding when I was nudged to get up from my seat and head inside Koenma's office.

"Well I'm glad that the artifacts are safely put back. But on to what the punishment will be for you three. Hiei, Kurama and Natsumi you three will be assisting my Spirit Detective Yusuke and helping Spirit World become a better place."

I rolled my eyes and scoffed, "A better place my a-"

"Natsumi, it was your blades that took out ten of my guardsmen. You were about to avenge Hiei after he went unconscious. You are getting off easy in the books." I bit my lip and fumed. I didn't take to orders very well. _Did he have to bring up me trying to protect Hiei? He didn't need to know about that_. I glanced at Hiei and saw that he too, gave a look my way.

_"I don't need you looking after me." _

_"Oh shut up. You're not going to get coddled by me." _

We were dismissed from the office and I remembered how I was dressed. I inwardly sighed as Botan and I took the portal to the human world. I returned to my tree, gathered my clothes and met back with Botan to take me back to Spirit World.

Hiei's POV

I could feel her energy. It was like she became the embodiment of anger and hatred. I opened my right eye slightly to look at her. Her curly, tangled red hair was pulled off to the side in a sloppy bun. Her eyes were glazed over, the bags beneath them told me she was on alert the entire time of her stay in the human world. I closed my eye and tilted my head back against the wall. There was still an annoyance where the detective's spirit gun had hit me. I shifted to my right to hopefully stop the throbbing. The doors opened up to Koenma's office and Kurama nudged Natsumi, indicating we were to be seen. She sullenly rose from her seat and entered into the room. She was just as tall as I. Her outfit surely had changed since the last time. _That outfit doesn't look too bad, though it's certainly not meant for fighting in. _I had to stop thinking about that outfit and fighting. It was ridiculous. There was so many ways _something could accidentally go wrong._ I'm irritated with myself right now. She's just a foolhardy demon that somehow survived on adrenaline and adventure.

"Hiei, Kurama and Natsumi you three will be assisting my Spirit Detective Yusuke and helping Spirit World become a better place."

Natsumi rolled her eyes and scoffed, "A better place my a-"

"Natsumi, it was your blades that took out ten of my guardsmen. You were about to avenge Hiei after he went unconscious. You are getting off easy in the books." I stole a glance her way. She bit her lip and fumed.

_"I don't need you looking after me." I coldly stated. _

_"Oh shut up. You're not going to get coddled by me." she retorted and ended our conversation._ We were then dismissed from the office and Natsumi said she had to go back to the human world to get her clothes. I stayed behind and was escorted to the place I would be staying at.

Natsumi's POV

Botan and I returned to Spirit World where I was led to a complex where I could stay. The complex had several rooms and bathrooms. I was told that I could pick whatever room I wanted so long as the door was open. I explored each open door room and walked around, studying the layouts. I chose what seemed to be the largest room with a bathroom attached to it. It had a medium sized circular window near the top of the room.

"This is the one!" I exclaimed happily. "So how do I get furniture and stuff?"

"All you have to do is make a request and we'll send it up in a jiffy!" Botan exclaimed.

"Do I just make a list? Is there a special form?"

"Oh! Right!" She pulled out a piece of paper from one of her sleeves. "Here ya go! I gotta get going but if you need anything else, call for George!" Botan gave me the paper before rapidly leaving. I shrugged and began to look around. _Now, how would I design this room?_ I had thought of it all. I wanted the Spirit World to go out of their way for me. The best idea ever. I wrote down, "Real cloud bed, complete with hovering abilities while I sleep**."** _Botan said all I have to do is make a request, right?_ I decided to actually put stuff I would need like dressers, couches and chairs. My goal was to have a house in my room. My thinking behind it was, if I don't ever go out to bother them, they can't bother me.

Much to my surprise and delight, I actually got my cloud bed. _YEAH!_ Because there is nothing quite like wasting Spirit World's money on myself. This bed was phenomenal! I got to set up my room exactly how I would like. I know, in the beginning I didn't want to bother them or vice versa but my room is so cool. This could be like our hang out spot. Where we can play games, talk mess and just be ourselves. After moving all my furniture the way I wanted it to be I stood back and admired my work. I took out the paper that Botan gave me and began writing for towels, linens and velvet blankets. I put the request in the little mail slot and walked to my bed and plopped down on it. Smiling I rolled over and looked at the ceiling.

"This is what you're proud of?"Hiei interrupted my thoughts.

Too embarrassed to even move, I lied there and and did his signature "Hn."

"How did you even think of something like this?"

I inhaled and exhaled. "I wanted to find something that was so incredibly damaging to Spirit World's pocketbook. I didn't think it was real. Do you...Do you want to try it out? It's pretty comfy." I sat up and scooted over. Instead, he walked out of my room. _Of course. _It's not like I hadn't noticed that he likes to keep his distance. I don't necessarily blame him. We don't know each other. Is that weird inviting someone you don't know on your comfy bed? _Yes._ Sighing, I got off my bed and closed the door. I went inside my bathroom, began running water for my shower and stripped off my clothes. I then cautiously put my hand in the shower to feel if the water was hot enough and then stepped in. I let the water pour down on me as I reflected the past few days and prepared my washcloth with soap. It was so peculiar how everything had transpired; meeting a few demons, helping them in a grand scheme of theft, my first visit to the human world, meeting up again with two of the demons, getting caught willingly and working for a spirit detective. I shook my head trying to shake out my thoughts. After my shower, I wrapped myself in a towel and began to brush my teeth taking extra steps to clean my tongue ring. Hanging up my towel to dry, I grabbed a long t-shirt that was on my dresser and pulled it on before heading to bed. Once I had gotten comfy everything faded to black.


	2. Chapter 2

_My world violently trembled. I could see my village being shaken, rocks rising from the ground and being used to crush everything my people had built. Bodies young and old littered the ground. The scent of blood was strong and lingered heavily in the air. Rampant fires swallowed houses and the smoke produced from them became increasingly toxic. There were those that were dead and those that were dying a slow death. Blinded by the smoke, I pushed myself to follow the source of where this power was coming from. I discovered three people that were causing the destruction to my home. One of them sensed that I was there and turned around grabbed me and pinned me down. I was face to face with a person with piercing golden eyes wearing a wolf mask. As I struggled to break free, they were able to keep both of my hands pinned down with their left hand while their right hand hand hovered over my face. My eyes widened as they began to emit a red-white burning light. I was being burned alive. My skin began to sweat, blister, boil and eventually melt off. To scream in agony would be an understatement. Everything enveloped in a bright white light. _I woke up covered in sweat and with Botan's hand gently on one of my shoulders.

"Natsumi! Are you alright?" Botan asked clearly concerned.

"I'm... yeah" I gasped. "I just had a really weird dream." My body ached. I felt like I was still engulfed in flames. I held in a yelp of pain as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. My head throbbed, my vision was blurred and it was hard to hear what Botan was saying to me. I needed the bathroom, I needed a trash can, I needed something. I uneasily got out of my bed and immediately lost my balance and began to fall to the floor. In a last ditch effort to save my face, I extended my hands out to help catch me. _Horrible, Horrible choice_. My body protested and writhed as I meant to scream and instead puked all over my floor. I could only hear faint noises surrounding me as I tried to see who was in my room. My eyes rolled back and I let the sweet escape of darkness take me.

Botan's POV

I was helping George move some boxes when I heard a scream coming from Natsumi's room. "Let's go George!" I exclaimed as I dropped the box I was holding and ran to where Natsumi was sleeping. I opened the door and much to my relief, it was just her in her ridiculous cloud bed. I rushed over to her bedside and gently touched her shoulder. "Natsumi! Are you alright?" I asked concerned.

"I'm... yeah" she gasped. "I just had a really weird dream."

"What happened? Is everything okay?" The questions kept rolling off of my tongue, I couldn't help myself. I finally realized that either Natsumi wasn't paying attention or she was seriously out of it. Natsumi struggled to get out of her bed and stood up, only to topple over. Her face was drained of all color.

"George! Get her!" I ordered.

"Yes Ma'am!" he said and hurriedly went to Natsumi's side to pick her up. He was careful to not step in the mess, and even more careful not to let Natsumi get in any more of it.

"Please, take her to the infirmary." George nodded and carried Natsumi out of her room. I sighed and pulled out my communicator to get a sanitation crew. After I had made the call I turned around and thought I saw movement. _I wonder..- Oh! Geez! I need to make a report immediately. _I rushed off to the infirmary so I can have the paperwork ready for Koenma in the morning.

Natsumi's POV

The sun was shining through the window of the infirmary. It was bothersome, really, especially as I was coming to consciousness. Opening my eyes, I sat up and drew a quick breath as the pain flooded through my body. I began deep breathing exercises to steady my will and pain. I heard the door open and I looked to see who my visitor was.

"Heard what happened last night. You feeling any better?" Yusuke asked.

"Word gets around quickly." I chuckled. "I'll live. What's going on?"

"I'm going to be away for a little bit, six months in total. You're part of the team so I wanted you to hear it from me."

"Oh." I paused, "So does this mean we won't have our detective to follow around?" I gave a small smile.

"I'll miss you too." he said sarcastically. "After six months you'd better improve or else I'm going to kick your ass!"

Botan entered the room. "Yusuke, it's time. You don't want to keep her waiting. Natsumi! I'm glad to see you're up! I'll be back to check up on you, okay?"

I nodded and gave Yusuke two thumbs up. He and Botan exited the room and left me to my own thoughts. My body felt like scorched remains. _I'll live _I reminded myself. I slowly started lifting the covers off of myself and scooted towards the edge of the bed. I steadily lowered my right leg allowing my foot touch the floor. A sharp sting was all that I felt. I lowered my left leg and my left foot touched the floor. Same feeling. _I'll definitely live._ I carefully stood up and slowly began stretching out my muscles. If Yusuke was going to be training for six months, I was too.

I had changed into my clothes and headed outside. Kurama said he would be out shortly and I figured Hiei would come if he felt like it. I began to jog lightly before getting the urge to run at full speed. I quickened my pace until I could not go faster. My lungs burned but I completed my lap. Next time and for future training sessions I would set a timer for myself and race against the clock. I began to pull out my daggers when I heard Kurama arrive.

"It feels like forever since I've had a friendly spar. May I have a battle?" I asked him.

"Of course" Kurama said, giving a smile.

We readied our positions. "GO!" I yelled and charged at him. He had side stepped away from my dash and pulled out a rose from his hair.

"Rose Whip!" he yelled and the rose became a whip with thorns encasing it. He lashed the whip at me and I pivoted to the right, narrowly avoiding it. I held my daggers in front of me in a defensive X shape position. Again, Kurama's rose whip was coming towards me. I threw myself to the right and rolled out of the way. The whip came again, I rolled to my left and got nicked by the end of it. I yelped in pain. _Damn those hurt!_ I quickly got up and dashed at Kurama. The whip came again. I parried with my daggers and continued towards Kurama. I landed a solid hit on his jaw. I pushed forward being on the offensive. I got into close range combat when that whip struck again. I maneuvered to his right and punched him in the ribs. I was about to go behind him when his whip wrapped itself around my right leg. I was in a catch-22. I didn't move. I looked up at Kurama and he looked down at me. I gripped my daggers and brought them down on the rose whip. I failed to cut it at all. My stunt costed me greatly. Kurama tightened the whip, I cried out and fell to the ground.

"I surrender." I sullenly said. I winced as I was trying to untangle my leg from the whip. Kurama dismissed the rose whip and helped me up from the ground.

"It was a good match." Kurama said, trying to lighten the mood.

"It was." I agreed. "We should do it again tomorrow."

For two months I trained with Kurama. Everyday we would meet, spar and harness our powers. I was feeling proud of the two of us, seeing as we both improved greatly. I was able to manipulate fire and stealth myself for the most part using my demon energy.

Kurama approached me, "Today is the last day that we had to train together."

"Wait! What?! Why?"

"It's Hiei's turn to train with you for two months." Kurama explained.

_Come to think about it, I hadn't seen Hiei anywhere for these last two months. _"Well don't be a stranger. We all live here" I teased.

The next day, I met Hiei where I used to meet Kurama. "Hello Hiei, it's been awhile. How have you been?" I said coolly.

"Let's not waste time. Draw your weapon." I did as I was told and readied for my match. "BEGIN!"

I went into stealth and begin moving around Hiei. I shot a fireball one way in hopes to distract him. No dice. He blocked my attack and kicked me in the stomach. _Damn it!_ I cursed to myself. Training with Hiei on day one has proven more difficult than with Kurama. Unless Kurama didn't take me seriously. I felt my cheeks burn from embarrassment as I realized he went easy on me. Still in a match with Hiei, I jumped back up and on my feet. I charged in front of him and at the last minute went to stealth and kicked his back. He stumbled forward before using his speed to create distance and advance in a different direction. I too, used my speed to mimic where ever he went. _I'm not a joke._ I charged and slid behind him, putting one of my daggers to his neck and the other to his stomach. I was trying to catch my breath and focused on getting him to surrender. Hiei dropped his sword on the ground, I held my position. The world around me went upside down as he grabbed my wrists and forced my daggers to fall from my hands before flipping me over him. My breath was knocked out me as I gasped for air, I saw Hiei's sword at my neck. I had no energy to verbally speak.

_"I surrender." _I closed my eyes, berating myself in my head. I opened my eyes and the sword was still there.

_"I said I surrender, Hiei." _I was irritated the sword was still there, reminding me that I lost. Again. Still.

My anger released and I slapping his sword away from me. I said, "**I surrender Hiei**." He withdrew his sword and began to walk away.

"Ass" I coughed, rolling over on my stomach so I could stand up. I managed to get on my hands and knees when I was picked up by the back of my shirt.

"Huh? Put me down! I don't need your help! I can stand up on my own!" I angrily ranted. Without a word, I was dropped and fell face first on the ground. My pride was hurt. Badly. As fast I could, I got up, picked up my daggers and limped inside the complex. Two months with him will be long and arduous.

I looked for Kurama in the complex. I had an urgent need to speak with him for not taking me seriously. I continued wandering around the complex waiting to see where he was.

"Looking for someone to care about your problems?" Hiei asked with a bored look on his face.

"Maybe or maybe not. This doesn't concern you since you're not the one I'm looking for."

Hiei smirked, "Heh. Same place and same time tomorrow. Be there."

I was right about one thing; the two months training with Hiei was long and arduous. His agility was phenomenal. There were nights I had to stay in the infirmary because of the severity of my cuts I got from him. But it made me stronger. I realized I could take a couple hits from him before I blacked out. Hiei thought he would be nice to me on the last week of training: All I had to do was chase him and grab the apple he held. To me, I would have preferred if he had sliced me, kicked me or flipped me over in a spar over this. That last week I spent every night in the infirmary.

Kurama and Hiei found me in the infirmary after the last day with Hiei. I reached in my pocket and pulled out the apple that I had gotten from Hiei. I was satisfied to see the his shocked expression for a second, and that will always be a favorite memory. I was told that the next morning they would both be training me and to prepare for the final push. Never before had I felt a more sublime feeling. I drifted off into sleep knowing that in two months Yusuke will be returning and Spirit World will be needing us once again.

Mastering my energy was hard. The fights were harder. The hardest and most rewarding part of the journey was accepting that losing is a natural thing. When there are three very talented fighters it is difficult yet honoring to lose the battle. Our last day came to a close and I thanked them for everything that they had taught me. Tomorrow, spirit detective Yusuke Urameshi will be arriving from Genkai's training.


	3. Chapter 3

_I was falling into an abysmal hole. Violet swirls surrounded me as I tried to determine where I was. Faces began to appear-familiar ones. The faces of my family, my friends and my clan. The face that was supposed to be the death of me. My stomach began churning unwillingly as the stench of rotten flesh filled my nostrils. Malicious laughter rumbled, a dark voice boomed inside of my head._

_"They're all gone because of you. You alone could have prevented this. Yet, you chose to discard their lives like the mere playthings that they were to you."_  
_My throat clenched and I gritted my teeth. "That's not the truth." I spat. My breathing became labored as I tried to hold in the pain; my pain of guilt, sorrow, and betrayal. "You did this!" I snarled at the face with the white skull. "I'll end you, traitor!" I bellowed._  
_The face with the white skull laughed, giving me a dark chill that ran along my spine. I shuddered visibly._  
_"I grow weary of asking you to give yourself over to me. You WILL surrender yourself to my power." it threatened._  
_"If I haven't given you my consent thus far, I'm afraid you will never get it." I sneered._  
_"Very well. I see that your throne requires more bodies. Surely there are others that you've become fond of? We can start there. Long live the Queen." it said in a condescending tone, laced with a hint of mockery._  
_My heart was pounding and I was squeezing my eyes so I wouldn't break down and cry. I felt my body starting to heat up and the bright white light enveloped me._

My eyes flew open and I inhaled deeply before I began my fit of anguished sobs. I was really shaken up about these dreams. Why would anyone randomly have dreams that had happened long ago? I turned and hugged my pillow, burying my face attempting to muffle my weakness._ It wasn't my fault._ I hugged the pillow even tighter. After several failed attempts at deep breathing, I finally calmed myself down and was able to clear my head. I wasn't going to chance falling asleep again. I changed into my battle-worn outfit and decided I could work on making more and repair the one I was currently in. I began mentally making a list of what I would need; leather hides, dyes, needles and thread. If there was one thing I knew, leather working was one of them. My boots were a modern version of jika-tabi; I kept the bottom of the boot the same but made the boot itself longer by making it reach up to my knees and had some fabric to fold over to reach the middle of my shin. My pants were simple enough, I make sure to put extra support around my knees and I set a leg sheath on both legs for my daggers. My shirt, has extra lining on the inside and I like that it can cover my figure. My gloves are my master piece, fingerless with extra support for my forearm. I like wearing a hood to hide my face and hair, and also cover my mouth. Do I have a cloak? Of course not. Those get in my way. I honestly don't see how Hiei does it. I admire that he can be as fast as he is with it on. I made my way out of the complex, seeking George's peon, Henry. I found Henry organizing the last bookshelf in the library that was on the other side of the complex. Knocking on the side of the wall I made Henry aware that there was someone else present.  
"Henry?"  
Henry carefully placed a hand to save his spot in the bookshelf and turned to face me. "Miss Natsumi? May I ask what are you doing up this early?"  
I studied Henry for a moment, noting that he prioritized things well and had not suffered a breakdown from the demands of George or the tiny Spirit World ruler. "I need some supplies and I believe you are more than capable of obtaining them for me." I grinned at him.  
Flattery will always get you somewhere. Henry smiled and enthusiastically shook his head in a positive motion. "Tell me what it is and I'll be certain to double it for you, Miss Natsumi!"  
"My list is modest. I need one hundred medium leather hides, an assortment of dyes, thick needles and fifty coarse thread skeins."  
Henry nodded, absorbing my list. "It will be done once I complete this task."  
"I appreciate it Henry and all that you do here." It was a genuine statement. Henry had made a positive impact on the Spirit World's chores, allowing poor George to get some rest in. They made a great team, Henry and George. One was collected, processed his thoughts and executed them while the other was frantic, disorganized yet quick at finding misplaced items.

I left the library and decided to go outside and relax. It was chilly so I used my energy to warm myself up. Staring up at the sky, I took comfort that I had a moment of peace. Sometime today, Yusuke will return and tell us all about the training he had to endure. I smirked. Over the past six months I had won, lost and drew to my opponents. What would be next for us? What missions would we have to complete? Only time would tell.

I must had dozed off as I awoke to water droplets falling on my face. I looked to the sky and seen that it was now a reddish-orange color with pink and purple clouds. I decided it would be best for me to go inside the complex, before the rain would pour down and soak me to the bone. I walked back to my room and discovered I have a box by the door. _Henry came through_. I picked the box up, opened my door and walked inside of my room. Gently placing the box on a desk I had, I carefully unpacked the box, setting aside my materials. I set straight to work, threading my needles and setting out the leather hides for my patterns. I worked swiftly through the morning. I had finished one outfit and was carefully detailing it with black dye.  
"Natsumi!" Botan burst in my room.  
I inhaled sharply and steadied my hand. "What is it, Botan?" I asked, mildly irritated.  
"We have a mission."  
I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at her. "How can I help?"

Botan briefed me on the mission. Spirit World received a letter from the four Saint Beasts demanding immediate migration to the living world. They possessed an item known as the Makai whistle- a whistle that, when played, could control humans. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei had already taken a portal to where the Saint Beasts were located, their mission was to search for and destroy the Makai whistle. Botan and I were to be in the human world finding and killing the Makai insects and gently knock out the people affected by them. After the briefing, I laced my daggers with my poison and took the portal to the human world.  
"I'll be in stealth beside you. I can take the affected humans by surprise and you can knock them out." I said before vanishing.  
"Sounds good to me!" Botan hoisted her baseball bat onto her left shoulder.  
We stuck together, easily knocking out the humans. I would charge at them, knocking them down and Botan would hit them on the head to ensure they would be out for awhile. The humans that were affected were few and far. Botan used this time to call Yusuke on his communication mirror.  
"Hello Yusuke! It's Botan here in the living world, do you copy?" She said.  
I was peering over her should and saw Yusuke's face. "Hey Yusuke!" I greeted.  
"Yeah, I-" Yusuke's image moved and a boy with reddish-orange hair took the mirror.  
"Hey what's up Botan? This is the brave Kuwabara, reporting at your service. I'm taking very good care of Urameshi." He looked straight into the mirror and began blushing. "Well hello there to you too, cutie!"  
"I'm so glad to hear that!" Botan laughed. I didn't realize that he could see me too. I made a disgusted face at him before removing myself from the video call. "Natsumi and I got things under control here as well, more or less. The Makai insects only like to nest in depressed people's minds. That narrows down our search a bit. We've also found another spy for the Saint Beasts. I just can't figure out how they are getting past the barrier. See, I think there are demons outside this city taking orders along the wall..."  
I noticed the spy was getting back up so I kicked him back down.  
"...The real challenge is finding those Makai insects! We've only caught fifteen of those buggers and we've been searching for nearly an entire day!"  
"Don't worry baby, you'll-oh!-ow!" Kuwabara's voice cut out.  
"Fifteen? That's not much help!" Yusuke yelled.  
I grew weary of the conversation. I snatched the mirror from Botan. "Yusuke, we are doing our best! I'm not allowed to harm the humans so it's going to take some time." I shoved the communicator back into Botan's hands and used the butt of my dagger to knock the spy out for awhile.  
"You need to get that whistle!" Botan instructed.  
"Okay! We're trying but this castle is kind of rough."  
"Well, of course it is! No one's survived before." Botan said nonchalantly, hanging up.  
A small, green winged insect with red spots flew by and I sliced it in half with one of my daggers. It fell to the floor, then disappeared.

A couple hours had passed as Botan and I continued to fight off Makai insects or any humans that might be affected by them. Botan decided that she should check up on the boys again much to my disapproval.  
"Yusuke! You've got to hurry!" Botan exclaimed.  
"What's the matter, Botan?" Yusuke asked  
I quickly slashed and sliced at three insects in the background.  
"Listen Yusuke, I think the Saint Beasts have launched another wave of insects. I found a whole batch by an elementary school."  
"They're taking over kids now? Yusuke asked in disbelief.  
"That's right!" Botan confirmed.  
"I thought you said these insects only like to take over the minds of depressed people?" Yusuke questioned her.  
"Well, that's because depressed people are more easily influenced. The same is also true for children, but if the bugs get into them.."  
I burst from her side to knock over a human man. After he was down, I took her by her left arm and began to lead her, making sure to stay out of the mirror.  
"Sorry Yusuke, but we're being chased now!" Botan ended the call.

I opened up a random warehouse door to our right and shut it quickly behind us. "I told you calling was a bad idea" I scolded. "So what's the plan? Is there any weapon or thing I can help fight? I'm feeling so useless right now." I admitted.  
"Natsumi, you're anything but useless. Unfortunately, there is nothing for me to give you. We need to get moving again though." She glanced at the door. I nodded and went into stealth. Botan opened the door and I rushed at the human, knocking them down. Botan swung her bat and we continued to run. We toiled together, stunning and knocking out. It was a routine. I stealth, dash and stun, she goes for the knockout. Rinse and repeat. My energy was depleting. Botan informed me that she was going to call Yusuke again.  
"Let him do his job!" I argued angrily.  
Botan ignored me and called Yusuke. "Yusuke, this is Botan. Do you copy?"  
"Sure" Yusuke was also losing patience.  
In the background, Kuwabara's voice could be heard, "Hey! Tell them I say hi!"  
"How are things in Maze Castle? Please tell me you've defeated three out of the four Saint Beasts by now." she begged.  
"What?! Are you crazy Botan? We've barely beaten two, these guys aren't easy!" Yusuke retorted in disbelief.  
"I understand Yusuke, but that's not fast enough! The city is losing it's grip. The mayor declared a riot alert thinking these people are just insane. So far, the police has detained most of those taken over by the Makai, but it won't be long until the police are infected as well." Botan reported.  
"Okay! I get it!" Yusuke snapped.  
"I hope you do, Yusuke, I really do."  
I jumped into action and charged at the guy trying to attack Botan. She hung up the phone and kicked the affected human in the head. We continued making our way through the city, killing bugs and knocking down the humans. Botan used her bat to knock down a human that succumbed to the insect in their head exiting an alleyway. I was a little relieved I didn't have to break my stealth when so many humans were in the area. Botan and I continued our search for these insects and humans being affected by them.  
"Botan! They are starting to work together and it seems they are after something." I observed.  
Botan and I ran into a middle school and hid in the bushes. Botan was quickly reached out and grabbed a girl, covering her mouth and bringing her in our hiding spot.  
"There" Botan said.  
_Where have I seen this girl?_ I narrowed my eyes and thought about it.  
"Hey, you're that girl.." the human began.  
"Keiko, have they hurt you in any way?" Botan was serious.  
"I think I'm fine, can you tell me what's going on?" Keiko asked.  
Without saying a word, Botan pulled out the mirror and said, "Yusuke, this is Botan. Do you copy?"  
_She was the human girl that Hiei had cut with the shadow sword._ I was still in stealth so she didn't know I was there.  
"The Beasts must be using the Makai whistle to-"  
The bushes parted and an infected human was the reason. I dashed, knocking him over. My stealth was broken and now Keiko could see me.  
"Let's go!" I pulled Botan and she pulled Keiko.

We ran around the school and I was dangerously low on energy. I decided I would save my energy and try to gain some of it back by just running around without my stealth. The three of us continued to run, I would get hits in when I could for stunning the humans. Botan had dropped her bat somewhere, so the only weapons we had now were my daggers. We entered the school and got ourselves surrounded. _I was against going in a building for the record._ With no time on our side, I began to push my energy limits. I was moving fast, knocking the humans down but there were many of them. One of the humans picked me up and threw me away from where Botan and Keiko were. My eyesight was fading. My whole body throbbed. I seen Keiko and Botan being held up by the infected humans. Something in me released. I forced myself to get up and attack. I dashed my way to where the man holding Botan was. I lifted up my arm to hit him in the back of the head but it never came. It was the last thing I remember.

My head pounded as I opened my eyes and looked around. Keiko was holding Botan in a protective way.  
"Did the world end?" my voice cracked  
"No. After you blacked out everything stopped." She gestured to all the sleeping bodies of the teachers.  
I nodded. "Let's get out of here." I shakily stood up and made my way over to Keiko and Botan. I squatted down and put Botan over my right shoulder with Keiko's help. We walked out of the school and to the P.E. building where I dropped Botan off on some mats. I sat down beside her  
"You're pretty tough, for a human." I remarked. Keiko's eyes widened. "I'm not here for you, don't worry."  
"So what are you doing here?" Keiko asked  
"Serving my sentence." I hung my head in my chest and began stretching out my neck.  
"Are you a co-worker of Yusuke's?"  
I laughed, a hollow sound in the room. She took in a breath. "My sentence is to assist him and the world he works for. You've no need to worry, Keiko, I have zero interest in the detective."  
She exhaled a breath of relief. "Detective?" she asked.  
"Is it normal for a mate to lie to you?" I asked my own question.  
A deep flush colored her cheeks. I could _feel_ her heart quickening, her blood pumping faster.  
"Mhm." Botan groaned.

Our attention remained on Botan ensuring that she was well enough to answer Keiko's questions and provide a portal for us to return to "home." It was still an odd thing to call the complex. I completely skipped my room and headed straight for the infirmary. I would sleep here tonight and be well rested for whatever the future held. Wondering of the grand adventure that the boys had, I closed my eyes and drifted off into a slumber. No dreams, no flashbacks just unadulterated sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

I never truly could say that it felt good to wake up, until today. I wanted to hear of the heroic deeds the guys did at Maze Castle. I got out of the bed in the infirmary and walked to my room. I changed into my new clothes and felt pride as my red and black ensemble looked menacing, my daggers pridefully displayed on the side of my thighs. I felt like I should check to see what everyone else was was up to. I knocked on Kurama's door. I heard some movement, some shuffling around and then the door opened.

"Kurama, good morning." I greeted. "I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time." my eyes were fixed on his unkempt hair.

"Good morning Natsumi. I was actually getting up anyway. What can I assist you with?" Kurama was still polite as ever.

"Can you tell me what happened at Maze Castle?" I couldn't contain my eagerness for a story.

He smiled. "Sure, just give me a few minutes."

"Okay, I'll be in the kitchen."

I walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge door looking for something to eat. For demons such as myself, it's not vital that I eat something every day like humans. Fasting for a year was actually a test my clan required each of the clan members to pass, if they wished to be a warrior. I spotted a bag of red seedless grapes and grabbed them, closing the fridge after me. I sat in one of the bistro chairs with the bag of grapes open in my lap, munching away mindlessly. Kurama entered the kitchen and sat in the chair across from me. I took the grape bag from my lap and offered some to him but he shook his head no. The bag of grapes returned to my lap as I slowly ate them as Kurama began retelling the events that happened.

Kurama's POV

"Yusuke and Kuwabara were surrounded by demons on the outskirts of the city. Hiei and I arrived from the portal and scared the demons away. Yusuke was surprised to see us thieves were in the same place as him. I had explained that Koenma had assured Hiei and I a clean slate in Spirit World if we aided him. Yusuke then introduced us to Kuwabara. Hiei had to say we were babysitting rather than helping and Kuwabara and he got into a spat. Hiei swore his revenge on Yusuke and I reminded him we have to settle the business at hand before he could handle his own. We then made our way to Maze Castle without much incident. We got to the front gate and a strange monster greeted us and said we had to be tried at the gate of betrayal. The strange monster pulled a lever down and the ceiling began coming down on us. We couldn't move with such a heavy weight, so Yusuke had trusted Hiei to pull the lever to stop the ceiling from collapsing further. Hiei was idle for a little bit, before the strange monster warned him if he had pulled the lever up, a boulder would have crushed him. He sliced the monster with his sword before pulling the lever up. The boulder came down with great force and speed but thankfully, Hiei was faster. We began walking down a long, narrow corridor when Yusuke's communication mirror rang. We all heard Botan's report."

I observed Natsumi had completely forgot about the grapes.

"We also heard your greeting. I chuckled. Yusuke asked me what I knew of the Saint Beasts since Botan didn't give him much information, and I told him that truthfully didn't know much either. I got to encounter Genbu, the stone beast. He was a massive talking boulder that had arms and legs as well as a tail. I was observing how he would fight and how he would put himself back together. I got hit in the stomach but it was a small price to pay. I was finally able to track where he was coming from by using my rose whip. I was able to get what would have been his hypothalamus and shatter it, defeating him. We were able to advance to the second set of doors. We had to run through the corridor as Byakko was roaring and the building started coming apart. We ran up some stairs and were facing Byakko himself. Kuwabara volunteered to fight him, and it was a close battle. We were able to move onto another set of stairs and the next part, in which we were face with fifteen doors, and only one led to the correct path. Kuwabara used his spirit awareness to pick a door and thankfully, it was the correct one. We walked a short ways before coming across a door with the mark of the blue dragon. Hiei insisted that the fight be his. Seiryu continued to shoot ice but Hiei was faster. Hiei's leg and arm got frozen, but was still able to cut Seiryu sixteen times."

Natsumi was looking at me intently.

"I'm afraid from there it gets boring. We let Yusuke go through to the last Saint Beast, while we stayed behind and fought off the cultivated humans. We made it halfway up the stairs when the whole building began falling apart. Hiei had acted quickly and threw his sword up and into the top part of where the stairs used to be. I used my rose whip and the three of us swung around and up. After that, we came upon Yusuke who had successfully beaten Suzaku but used his life energy to do it. Kuwabara gave some of his life energy to Yusuke. Yusuke is currently resting at Kuwabara's house." I concluded. Natsumi breathed as if she were holding her breath.

"That's incredible!" her eyes matched her tone of excitement. "I wish I were there! It must have been exciting, feeling the rhythm of battle."

"I'm glad we all made it out safely." I said. "I actually need to be going to check up on a few things. Take care." I stood up, pushed in my chair and headed out to Koenma's office.

Natsumi's POV

Kurama headed out of the kitchen and I figured I would go outside to keep sharp and train. I got up and felt something slide off my lap. I remembered the grapes and quickly grabbed the bag before it could spill its contents on the floor. I put the grapes back in the fridge and then headed outside of the complex. Hiei was already out there, a black shadow racing throughout the grounds. I smiled to myself and began stretching. Finishing my routine, I crouched down and prepared to sprint. Black shoes were in front of me and I halted myself from throwing all my weight forward. Flustered, I got up from my position and noticed that Hiei was walking off to somewhere I had never gone. I went after him, trying to keep my distance but not hiding the fact that I following him.

"Where are you going?" I asked, looking around and finding objects that I could easily remember to find my way back.

"Some place that doesn't concern you. Leave." Hiei stated keeping his back to me.

"You have no idea if would concern me or not. I'm going with you." I declared.

"Hn." he continued to walk until we came across a rift. Without saying another word, he jumped in the rift. I was right behind him.

We landed in an alleyway of some sort. Bones littered the ground and rodents fearfully scattered upon our arrival. There was a musty smell- traces of sweat, dirt and garbage in the air. I wrinkled my nose immediately. Hiei started walking as did I. Exiting the alleyway there was a new sight to my eyes.

"_A demon city?"_ I asked Hiei, looking at him.

Hiei nodded and continued to walk towards the populated area. This area consisted of buildings, worn with age and possibly countless fights and many tiny stalls set up and manned by robed merchants each promising that their supplies and wares were the best. We ignored them and continued to walk. There was an opening that led to a more wealthy side of town, where demons walked haughtily and shops were in concrete buildings. Glances were passed as Hiei and I walked side by side through this part of town.

"_So what are we trying to accomplish here?"_

"_I'm looking for information on my sister."_

I stopped the conversation, not wanting to push the issue any further. We came upon a large tan building that had a painting of a black book.

"_This way."_ Hiei quickly moved to the right.

My instincts allowed me to keep up with him, staying on his right side. We stopped in front of a portly frog demon. His large, black eyes widened slightly in surprise as two demons appeared in front of him.

"Tell me what you know." Hiei ordered.

The frog demon gulped before speaking, his baritone voice keeping low to a whisper.

"There is talk that an ice apparition is being held captive by a human. He uses her for her tears. This human has a hunger to possess all things rare. Word has it, he has set up a significant bounty for the Phoenix."

My eyes narrowed at the mention of the Phoenix. "What would a human want with it?"

The frog shrugged, turning his attention to Hiei. "This is the latest news I have. Now as for my payment-"

Hiei interrupted him. "Your payment will not be afforded to you since I didn't receive a location."

The frog shook his head, "You're right! I'm sorry!" he stuttered, lowering his head.

I heard the sound I didn't want to hear. Hiei had unsheathed his sword.

"No." I turned to my left, grabbing Hiei's right hand with both of my hands. His eyes met mine.

"_Not yet." _I told him.

"There is someone who may know information that I don't have access to." The frog man whispered frantically. "It's ill-advised and dangerous."

"It's ill-advised to lie to me. Who is this person and where can I find them?" Hiei replied.

"They call him Hideki. He has been imprisoned and I hear is held at the Shadow Castle which is North of here." the frog quavered.

Hiei stood there for a moment, determining if the frog was giving correct information. I realized I was still holding onto Hiei's right hand and immediately released my grip, bringing my hands to my sides.

"Very well." Hiei sheathed his sword, turned and jumped onto a building's roof with me following close behind.

When were were out of sight and away from the frog, I began thinking about how to get into Shadow Castle.

"_What do you intend to do now?" _I inquired.

"_Break in." _he stated flatly.

"_Seriously? You won't make it out alive that way!" _

"_Do you have a better idea?"_

"_I do."_

I explained the plan to Hiei and he agreed to go along with it. I had made it inside the Black Book Club's building and into the ladies' locker room. From there, I was able to see what the attire looked like. The sound of heels clattered behind me. I turned around and was greeted by a tall, blonde woman.

"Are you Tsukiko?" the blonde woman asked.

"Yes! Yes I am." I smiled.

"Where is your uniform?"

"I didn't receive one yet, I was told to come in today for my fitting and then work."

The blonde nodded and then gestured with her hand for me to follow. "As you know, the Black Book Club enjoys the finer things in life. They spend a great deal of money to get what they desire. However," she paused to grab a key ring and find a key to the door we had stopped in front of, "There are still some house rules we must obey." The door opened and dozens of the outfits were folded neatly on a shelf. The blonde woman shut the door behind me.

"Strip down." I did as I was told, careful to hide my daggers since she hadn't noticed them yet.

"Mmhm." The woman went to the shelf and began searching through the sizes. "Here we go, try this on." It was a black laced teddy that had fishnet tights attached.

I did as I was told. I put one foot in the leg of the outfit and then the other foot in the other leg. I carefully pulled the fishnet tights up my knees then to my thighs. I pulled the teddy over my bottom and up my waist. I slid my arms into the arm holes and adjusted my breasts. "Perfect." the woman nodded in approval. "Now, Tsukiko, the house rules. Number one, You must always have a smile on your face. Your customers may touch you, but they cannot kiss you. You can show them your goods if you want a nice tip but it's not required. You cannot have relations with the customers and must go by a stage name. Is that clear?"

It was a lot to take in but I nodded. "Do I choose my stage name?"

"Yes. Do you have one in mind?"

"Vixen."

"That suits you. Here," she handed me a pair of four-inch heels, "Put these on and go back to the locker room to fix your hair. I'll meet you there once I have your name tag."

I dutifully put on the heels, scooped up my clothes, smiled and thanked her. She opened the door for me and I made my way back to the locker room, where I saw a raven haired girl waiting. I cleared my throat.

"Hi! I'm Tsukiko!" the raven haired girl greeted.

"Nice to meet you!" I smiled. I put my clothes down except for my hood. "Come, follow me."

Tsukiko did as she was told. I walked to where a door was and stood beside her.

"I'll need you to rest in here." I used the butt of my dagger to hit her in the back of the head. I caught her as she fell forward and opened the door. I dragged Tsukiko inside and laid her on some towels. I closed the door behind me, scooped up my hood and daggers and hurriedly walked on the balls of my feet so I wouldn't be clattering around. I had put my clothes in a locker and had the key wrapped around my wrist. I finished putting my hair up in a bun when the blonde woman returned.

"You look lovely, Vixen." the blonde flashed me an approving smile.

I smiled. "Thank you."

She approached me from behind and put a black velvet collar on me. "You're all set to work."

The smell of cigar smoke was awful. There was very little ventilation in this building, giving the room a smokey effect. I put on my smile and set to walk the floor. I approached a table that had a couple of demons in business suits.

"Can I get you boys anything?" I smiled, cringing on the inside.

"I'll have another beer." One of the demons said.

The other demon made it clear he was looking me up and down as he licked his lips. "I'll have a jack and cola."

I nodded still smiling. "My pleasure. May I take these out of the way for you?" As I got the nods of approval, I collected the empty glassware and made my way to the bar. "One jack and cola and another beer please."

I didn't want to admit that I got caught up working for a place that I wasn't employed at. Most of the demons seemed to care more about drinking than about me. Soon though, a fight broke out between two of the patrons and I took the opportunity to explore the building. I had made it up a flight of stairs and passed two men, one that was very tall, wearing a green trench coat and sunglasses and the other man, with grayish curly hair sitting on the tall man's shoulder.

"I sense something brother." he paused. "Never mind, we have business to attend to."

I ran down down the hallway and right into the frog demon. I was easily knocked back and fell on my bottom.

"You!" he hissed. "I'll make sure where you're going, you won't escape!"

I put up my hands up in front of me. "I don't know what you're talking about!" I lied.

He hovered over me, his black eyes gazing intently. He reached down and hoisted me up over his shoulder. "The boss will know what do do with you!"

_I was satisfied they took my bait._ I was inside Shadow Castle. I began to take in my surroundings. The prison cell bars were starting to show signs of rust. I looked down at myself and saw I was still in the "uniform" from the Black Book Club. I smirked. _This will be too easy._ The guard that was posted at my cell looked back at me.

"What're you smirkin' at?" he drawled.

"You." I flirted.

He paused and turned. "You want some of this?"

"I do. I want you. I want to cut you to pieces with your blood spewing out of your lifeless body as I decorate this room with your entrails." I grinned wickedly.

He paled considerably. "You little bitch! If I could, I would go in there and teach you a lesson!"

"What's stopping you?" I taunted.

The guard sighed angrily before pulling out a sizable key-ring, fumbling to find the key to my cell. A small 'click' could be heard and he swung the door open with all of his might.

I feigned alarm as the guard advanced to me.

"I'll put you in your place!" he bellowed.

I laughed. "I'd like to see you try." I crouched down and charged at him. I was only able to knock him back a few feet. _Damn these shoes! _I quickly took off my heels and used my speed to warp behind the guard. I snatched the key-ring as I kicked him in the back and he stumbled into my cell. I shut the door and he was locked inside.

"Let me out!" he yelled.

"I will if you can answer a few questions. Where is the one called Hideki?"

"I'll never tell you!" he said defiantly.

I walked up the cell and put my hands on separate bars and squeezed. They sizzled and began to melt away. "I won't repeat myself."

Cold sweat covered his face as he began babbling. "He's on the third floor of this castle!"

"Good. See? That wasn't so bad." I cooed. "What floor are we on now?"

"I can't tell you that."

I reached up, grabbed the bars that I had melted but in a higher place and squeezed. The metal sizzled and I now had two metal rods. I looked at him. He remained silent. I put one of the rods to my mouth, inhaled and exhaled out fire. I then quickly poked him with the burning hot end of the rod.

He yelled in pain. "Seven! We're on floor seven!"

"Is there anything else you can tell me about this castle?"

Wincing where I had poked him, he began, "The majority of us are in the human world. There is only a handful of us here. Now please, let me out." He begged.

I turned my back and began walking out.

"Wait! You said you would let me out!" He yelled.

I breathed in, turned around and faced him. A blast of fire emitted out of my mouth. I turned and began running to find the stairs. His screams of agony rang throughout the halls of floor seven.

I finally had made my way down to the third floor. "Hideki?" I called out. I began peeking through the sturdy wooden doors. "Hideki?" I called again.

"Yes?" a faint voice could be heard.

"Hideki, I'm here to help. I need to know which room you are in. Please tap on your door." A few moments had gone by where it was silent. **Tap. Tap.** I followed where the taps were. I peeked through the door and saw a sickly looking man. "Hideki, while I'm looking for the key, may you please tell me about a human holding an ice apparition captive?" I tried a key but it didn't fit.

"His name is Gonzo Tarukane. He is the human that holds the ice apparition. He is profiting from her tears and he will use whatever means necessary to get them."

I tried another key, it fit but didn't turn. _Oh great, so Hiei's sister is being tortured. _"How many people does he have with him?" I tried another key but it was too small.

"I'm not too certain. The last I knew is Tarukane was looking for "specialists" since she was refusing to cry."

I tried a bronze key and the door opened. "Where is the ice apparition's location?" I walked inside his cell.

Hideki's eyes widened, his face became red and he looked away. "It's in a secluded area, about 200 miles from a city."

"Is there anything else you can tell me?" I stretched out my hand to help him up.

Still averting his eyes, he took my hand and pulled himself up. "Tarukane is on the hunt for the Phoenix."

"What are his intentions?" I went to Hideki's side and put his arm around my shoulder.

"He thinks he has a device that can steal the Phoenix's energy and turn it into life stones. Since the Phoenix is immortal, Tarukane can profit by literally selling life to humans and demons.

I began to walk and he limped beside me. "We have two flights of stairs, and I don't know how far this castle is from the city I was at earlier."

Hideki and I made it to the first floor without any incident. When we had rounded the corner we caught the footman's attention.

"Sound the alarm! We have escapees!"

I nudged Hideki to the nearest wall and sprinted towards the footman, knocking him down. I grabbed one of my metal rods and swung it high over my head before bringing it down with great force. It was literally a skull-splitting crack that filled the room and blood sprayed everywhere. Two more footmen ran towards me. I used my speed to warp behind them, heated up my metal rods and delivered two kidney shots. Two more skulls were split. I rushed back to Hideki.

"We need to get going. The alarm has already gone off."

Hideki nodded, "I will only slow you down. Go."

I shook my head. "You're coming with me."

"I refuse to go. There is nothing left for me outside of here."

"Don't be a fool! You can get away from the torture and live normally." I argued.

"Fly Phoenix. Fly far and fast."

"Hideki! No! Come on!" I grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

It was at that second, Hideki's heart had stopped. His eyes were devoid of life. I closed my eyes and sighed, closing his eyes as well.

"I didn't know you that well but you were a good man. A good man that deserves a proper burial." I picked up Hideki's corpse and burst Shadow Castle's doors open. Using my speed, I ran far and fast with until I found a place I found suitable to bury Hideki. I dug a small shallow hole and put Hideki's body over it. Saying a final goodbye, I touched Hideki's corpse and it became a pile of ash that fit perfectly in the hole. I covered the hole and marked his grave with one of my metal rods.

I ran back to the Black Book Club's building. I cloaked myself with my energy, sneaking in the main entrance. I went to the back where the locker room was. I was pleased to see my locker was still locked. I quickly unlocked the locker, gathered my belongings and exited out the employees' way. Clutching my clothes, I ran back to where Hiei and I were supposed to meet- by the rift we entered through.

Hiei was leaning his right shoulder on the wall when I turned the corner. He didn't seem disturbed in the slightest that I had shown up in a completely different outfit, sprayed in blood and slightly out of breath.

"So this is where you were going to make your escape. It's a pity you were so close." a high pitched voice called out.

I looked up to see a girl with choppy pink hair and hazel eyes. "What do you want?"

She smiled wickedly. "Your time."

I seen movement out of the corner of my eye. "Hey! What the hell! Hiei!" I jumped back, evading a slash from his sword.

"What took you so long? It's been a week." Hiei was clearly agitated.

"What are you talking about? It's still the same day as when we came here." I was confused.

Hiei took his sword and used it to point to a wall. There were seven tally marks.

"I can assure you, I just got back and it's still the same-" I stopped. "Was there a girl with short pink hair? Hazel eyes?"

"No." he glared at me.

"I seen a girl. She had short pink hair and hazel eyes. I asked her what she wanted and she just said my time." I started putting the pieces together. "If you said you've been here a week, she could be manipulating time. For both of us." He stayed silent. "The only way out of these things is to either temporarily forget your memories or fight through this."

I began channeling my energy and setting fire to the buildings around us. "Maybe if we find a hole, we can escape." When we had destroyed everything we could, both of us sat down to rest. I had closed my eyes for a minute but when I had opened them, the buildings were back to the way they were. "What in the hell?!" I yelled. Hiei opened his eyes and narrowed them. I walked to where his tally marks were. There was an extra one. "There is no way this has been a day!" I cried out. I channeled my energy again, destroying the buildings. After everything was destroyed, I sank to my knees.

On the "fifth" day of being with Hiei, of destroying buildings, of feeling desperate, I tried something I hadn't thought of until then. I climbed to the roof where I had seen the girl. With a fierce yell, I unleashed my energy. The sky had changed colors, the buildings began crumbling away and my energy was encircling me faster than the speed of light. Then, without any warning, my energy exploded and enveloped everything in a bright white light. The temporal loop was over. The girl that could control time was blown far away, being right where my energy bomb was. I looked at Hiei and saw that he began moving. He looked me over and turned away promptly.

"There was only one individual that held my respect. I have to add one more." Hiei commented.

I beamed, even though his back was to me. "I have all of the information. Can we go home so I can clean up and change?"

Without another word, Hiei and I passed through the rift.


	5. Chapter 5

Hiei and I arrived back in Spirit World, somewhere on the training grounds. The new moon wasn't providing any light for me to see. Our little adventure had taken the whole day. I fumbled around in the darkness hoping that I would be able find my way back to the complex.

"_Stop." _Hiei ordered.

I obeyed the order. Shuffling noises were drawing nearer and I prepared myself, holding one of my daggers. The bushes moved, I steadied myself for an attack and Kurama came into view with a flashlight, shining it in my eyes.

"Natsumi?!" Kurama asked in disbelief.

"Uhh... hi Kurama." I said, squinting my eyes. I had my clothes bundled up, resting on my left hip with my left arm pressing against them and my right hand with a dagger in it.

"Is that...blood?" Kurama asked, concern growing for me.

"No, it was a Karrie audition. I didn't get the part though." I said, laughing.

"What were you doing?" he asked, getting serious.

"Nothing." I lied.

"Nothing? You are in the training grounds in the middle of the night, wearing a service-girl outfit, splattered in blood...and you're not doing anything?" Kurama's eyes had darkened and a smirk began to tug at his lips.

_Hiei let me get caught while he ran to the complex! _The idea hit me hard, my facial expression reflected that I had figured something out and wasn't pleased.

"I just wanted to go out, maybe see the world a little bit." It wasn't a complete lie.

Kurama's eyes flickered from bright green to golden.

"Hey Kurama? Is everything alright? Your eyes.." Kurama didn't say anything, but took a step towards me.

"Isn't it a little late to have a club meeting?" Hiei walked out behind Kurama.

"_You jerk! You left me! You threw me to the fox!" _I ranted to Hiei.

"I could ask you the same, Hiei." Kurama's eyes returned to their bright green color before turning left to face Hiei. "I found Natsumi here and was about to escort her to the complex."

Hiei glanced me over. "This unpleasant odor sickens me. Hurry to the complex and clean up."

"_What the hell ever." _I growled. I clutched to my clothing as I sprinted in the direction that Hiei had walked out from. I seen lights in the distance and rushed towards the complex.

I dashed inside and into my room before slamming the door and going to the bathroom to start running the shower. I peeled off the teddy outfit and kicked it off to the side in my bathroom. I entered my shower and began scrubbing my body with force. I couldn't shake the feeling of how unclean I felt, how frightened I was when I saw Kurama's eye color flicker and how relieved I was that Hiei came back for me. _Hiei came back for me._ I found myself smiling. I finished up with my shower, exited and wrapped a towel around me. I went to my pajama drawer, where I had chosen to wear black sweatpants and a gray sweatshirt with orange stripes. I refused to be idle so I began working on another outfit, trying to busy my mind. I had completed a pair of boots and gloves before standing up to take a break. I yawned and stretched, walking out of my room and to the kitchen. I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and turned around, colliding with Hiei.

"_What did you find out?" _

I narrowed my eyes, an indignant expression on my face. _"You used me as a distraction! You left me alone with no explanation, You-" _

"_Tell me what you know." _Hiei cut me off.

I tried walking past him but he continued to block my escape. _"Move!" _I demanded, my telepathic voice cracked with emotion.

Hiei stepped forward, closing the space between us. I stepped back, my back now pressed against the refrigerator. I shivered as the cold from the fridge penetrated me.

Hiei had covered my mouth with his left hand, his right hand gripped my head and rested his palm on my forehead. _"If you won't tell me then show me!" _he commanded.

Hiei was in my memory sifting through the events that occurred in the demon world. He entered where I was in the locker room of the Black Book Club. The events unfolded, Hiei able to witness what I was feeling, what words were exchanged and what I saw. He remained there, observing what had happened after he used me as his distraction so he wouldn't get caught alone with me. Kurama's eyes flickering from bright green to golden. Hiei closed the telepathic connection by releasing his grip on my forehead and uncovering my mouth, distancing himself from me.

I hadn't moved, still stunned that he was able to access my memory. I blinked and moved away from the cold fridge.

"_Do you know which city it is?" _

I shook my head no. _"I was going to look into it as soon as I woke up."_

"_I'll do research as well." _Hiei paused, _"Get some rest, you're not useful if you're sleeping."_

I stalked off to my room without saying goodnight to Hiei. I climbed in my bed, pulling the velvet blanket over me. I squeezed my eyes shut, attempting to squeeze out Hiei going in my memory. I rolled over to my right side and curled up in a fetal position. I hadn't any time to think, as I fell into slumber.

I woke up in the middle of the morning, not feeling as well rested as I would've liked but got up and started my day. After brushing my teeth and changing into my school girl outfit, I set to work on completing the set of clothes that I worked on upon arriving from the demon world. I brought out my dyes, studied each color before selecting to dye the outfit black with a sapphire blue trim and detail.

The sun was high in the sky when I hung the ensemble up and cleaned my work area. I opened my bedroom door and walked to where Koenma's office was. I knocked on the door and waited. The doors swung inward, I strode inside and stopped at Koenma's desk.

"How is Yusuke doing?" I asked, forcing Koenma to stop what he was doing to acknowledge me.

"He's still asleep and recovering at Kuwabara's house."

"Is this Kuwabara guy part of our team?" I cocked my head to the right.

"It seems that way. He has insisted on accompanying Yusuke whenever a mission is received." Koenma sat back and studied me.

"Well, if he is part of the team, I think I should meet him. It's hardly fair that Kurama and Hiei know more about this guy than I." I stated, watching for Koenma's reaction.

Koenma brought his left hand up and rested it on his chin. "You do have a point." he admitted.

"Is there any way I could get a portal now?" I pushed the issue, knowing it would make Koenma suspicious.

Koenma's eyebrows furrowed together. "What is urgent down there?" he inquired.

"I need clothes." I said, looking innocent. "I have little 'casual' clothes. This poses a risk considering that Yusuke resides in the human world and I cannot blend in with my surroundings."

"Okay! Okay!" Koenma had heard enough. He pushed a button to his right. "Botan! I need you in my office at once!" the tiny ruler ordered.

"Yes, Koenma sir!" Botan appeared behind me.

"I need you to escort Natsumi in the human world." Koenma tossed a shoulder bag to Botan and one to me. "This should be more than enough money for the trip. Get going!" Koenma waved us off and I turned and followed Botan out of the office.

"Here take the portal, I'm just going to change clothes first." she instructed.

I landed behind a tree and began looking around. _I was in a park of some kind? _Shrugging to myself I found a sidewalk and began to follow it down until I was at an intersection.

"We're going to be taking a left." Botan said, standing beside me.

I looked at Botan, noticing that she was wearing a light pink sweater, blue jeans and white tennis shoes. I bit my lip to keep myself from laughing. Botan was well aware I was trying my best not to laugh.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

"You look like them." I gestured with an open hand to the humans around us.

"So do you!" she retorted.

I began walking left and Botan followed, keeping by my side.

I made sure to keep the conversation about Botan the entire time we walked to the city. I found out that she was fond of the beach, she was an ice cream purist- ice cream should only be consumed in a cone, coffee flavored ice cream was the all time favorite and that she enjoys the fusion of iced tea and lemonade.

We entered the populated area as vehicles sped by and people strolled to their destinations. Botan led me to a store, where they had an assortment of clothes to choose from.

"Where do I even begin?" I laughed, looking around. Botan began grabbing shirts, skirts and pants off of the shelves and hangars. I widened my eyes as she held a pile of clothes in a matter of seconds.

"Here! Try these!" she exclaimed.

"Uhmm.."

Botan pushed me to the back of the store and into a fitting room, with the pile of clothes dropped on the bench. "I can't wait to see how they look on you!" Botan squealed.

I sighed and began matching outfits before I took off my clothes. The first outfit I had put on was black pants with a white and pink striped shirt, that had a halter string that tied around my neck and the sleeves were on the sides of my arms. I opened the door and Botan cheered. I did this for the entire pile of clothes, trying them on and showing Botan. I sorted through what I liked, all kinds of v-neck striped shirts, dark blue jeans and black pants. I selected the various colors of tank tops as well as some baggy sweatshirts. I changed my clothes, opting for the first outfit I tried on.

I carried several large bags out of the store, Botan helping me by holding a single bag.

"I'll put these in my room so we don't have to lug these around." she informed me as she made a portal on the side of the store.

I heaved the bags into the portal, the weight almost making me fall in. "I take comfort knowing I won't be needing many shoes." I panted, running my fingers through my hair. My fingers caught in a knot and I untangled my fingers from the knot in my hair.

Botan noticed my actions and bit her lip to keep from laughing. "You know, there is a couple hair salons out here. We could get that taken care of."

I paused to think about it._ It would be advantageous. _I grabbed my hair and pulled it to my left side, examining it. "Sure, on one condition- we find an expert on cutting hair. I will not have it done by an apprentice or journeyman cutter."

Botan giggled. "You're going to need to work on your vocabulary here if you don't want to sound weird."

I shot her a playful look. "Then you do all the talking while we're here!"

"I have! It's your turn!" Botan said in a lighthearted way. She began walking and I stayed by her side.

"There's nothing to talk about concerning me." I laughed.

Botan and I stopped in front of a store that had pictures of men and women with all sorts of hairstyles.

She pushed me inside and a bell rang when the door opened.

"Hello!" Botan called out.

"Good day, how are you?" a woman with turquoise hair, pulled in a tight bun greeted.

"My friend here was wondering what the experts here could do with her hair." Botan pushed the small of my back, forcing me forward.

The woman nodded and made her way over to me. She took my hair and began pressing it through her fingers and parting it in various ways. She sighed. "Let me get Shin." Her hands left my hair and she strode out of the room. I could hear chatter but no words. Shin, was a tall man that had caramel eyes and shiny, jet black hair. He was wearing a white shirt with blue jeans, a black apron covered his clothes.

"My, my." Shin smirked. "What have we here?"

"Can you fix it?" I asked and looked up at him.

"What a silly question. I am an expert at my craft." he motioned for me to come.

I looked back at Botan and she nodded. I approached Shin and he pulled out a black robe. "Put this on like a jacket." After putting the black robe on, Shin pulled out another black robe and put it in front of me and fastened it in the back. Shin turned me around and motioned for me to follow. He pointed to a black seat that was near a sink. I sat down in the chair, putting my head over the sink as instructed. Warm water splashed my face as Shin began rinsing out my hair. I heard pumping and observed Shin as he had the shampoo in his hands. He began washing my hair, scrubbing and massaging my scalp and working down my hair. I closed my eyes. _Man, this feels good._ Shin got the conditioner and repeated his work. My hair, now cleaned, wrapped in a towel as Shin directed me to a weird looking chair. I sat in it and Shin turned my chair to face a mirrored wall. I saw my reflection and watched as he unwrapped the towel that held my hair.

"I'm assuming you would like something that won't be high maintenance?"

I nodded. "Please."

Shin took out a comb and began combing out my hair. He lifted up my chair by pumping a button near the base of the chair. Shin grabbed a pair of scissors and began snipping away. My mid-back length was now slightly above my shoulders. Shin grabbed a blow dryer and began to straighten and style my hair. He turned my chair so I faced him. He made a diagonal part giving me slight bangs on my right side. Shin grabbed another pair of scissors and began cutting the edges of my hair. When he had turned me to the mirrored wall, I didn't recognize myself. I now rocked right bangs, choppy layers and my hair ended before my shoulders.

"I think that suits a red head better." Shin interrupted me staring at myself.

"I love it!" I smiled in the mirror, then up at him.

Shin sprayed some product in my hair before helping me out of the black robes. I paid the bill and gave Shin an excellent tip.

I ran out to see Botan.

"Natsumi!" Botan screeched. "You look amazing!"

"We owe it all to Shin!" I said, giving credit where it was due. Botan and I exited the salon and made our way to a shoe store. Before entering, I looked up at the sky to see it was getting late. _I'm wasting time_. I walked inside the shoe store, found a few pairs of shoes I enjoyed and bought them. Botan was distracted by flip flops that had a wedge to them. I spotted an area where maps were sold. I used my speed to snatch a map and return to Botan's side.

"...get a pair!" Botan said.

"I spaced out for a moment, sorry. Repeat that?" I admitted.

"I said, you should get a pair." Botan repeated herself.

"Tell you what- I'll get some if you do."

Botan was pleased with that deal. We both ended up purchasing a pair of wedge sandals, Botan's were pink and mine were black.

"Okay no more clothing!" I declared, laughing. Botan and I had accumulated several bags that we were struggling to carry.

"Agreed!" Botan sighed. "Oh hey! Ice Cream!" she walked to the ice cream stand, dragging the bags.

I shook my head in disbelief before following her. She had already purchased a scoop of coffee-flavored ice cream with a cone.

"This is soo good! You have to get some, Natsumi!" Botan was enjoying her ice cream.

I looked at the choices the vendor carried. "I can't choose between two of them!" I said, disappointed in myself.

"So then get them both." The vendor said.

Seeing a line forming behind me, I gave in. "I'll have a double scoop of ice cream in a cone. Can I have the mint chocolate chip and the chocolate chip cookie dough on top?" I was hoping that I didn't make a poor choice. I paid the vendor and walked over to Botan. We half carried, half dragged our bags as we walked and ate our ice cream. When Botan made certain we were away from the humans, she created a portal and we took it.

Botan and I arrived in front of Koenma's office, our bags landing with a heavy **plop**.

"I don't know how I'm going to find the time to put all this stuff away!" I quipped.

We laughed at how ridiculous our pile was. It felt good to open up to someone, to have a connection that mattered.

"Oh no! My ice cream!" I turned my hand to lick where the ice cream had melted and trickled down.

"Have fun, ladies?" I heard Kurama's voice.

"We had a blast!" Botan answered. "Look! Did you see Natsumi's hair?"

I felt two pairs of eyes on me as I brought my ice cream away from my face and looked at Kurama, giving a small smile.

"You're beautiful, Natsumi." he complimented.

"Thanks." I was polite and accepted the compliment. I didn't want to make it awkward that I seen Yoko Kurama in his eyes last night. "I better put all this stuff away." I scooped up my bags and excused myself from the group. The weight of the shoes felt they were getting heavier. I made it to my door and released the bags with shoes. I let out a sigh and left my bags scattered in front of my door. I walked outside the complex, where the training grounds were. I sat on one of the stairs and licked my ice cream.

I sat, engrossed in my own thoughts eating the cookie dough ice cream.

"_Tell me how shopping can assist with finding Yukina."_

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked around, spotting Hiei in a tree. _"I completed my task. I decided to enjoy myself if I did my part." _I took the last bite of my cookie dough ice cream, getting a little taste of the mint chocolate chip ice cream. I made a face. I didn't care for that flavor. _"Scoot over and open your hands." _I instructed, standing up. Using my speed, I appeared beside Hiei, giving him the map and the ice cream. In a blur, I was back to sitting on the stair as if I never left. _"The forest that Hideki was talking about is just outside the city that I was at." _I stood up and walked inside the complex. My hand was sticky from the ice cream so I went to the kitchen sink and began washing my hands. I looked for a towel before giving up and wiping my hands on my jeans. I returned to my room to see Botan had dropped my clothes off at the door.

Hiei's POV

I hadn't seen her all day. My mind kept going back to what I did to her in the kitchen. _Her eyes widened as I covered her mouth and grabbed her head. _I shook my head and sighed to myself. _She flirts with death at every chance she gets, why was she frightened? _I brooded over the problem. _Kurama's eyes had flickered from bright green to golden...What did Yoko Kurama want? _I felt my anger rising at a particular thought. I went outside the complex and started my training. The thought that was gnawing at the back of my mind had me pushing my limits. _Was Kurama interested in her as well? Anyone would be a fool to not recognize her power. _Exhausted and out of breath, I went back into the complex to take a shower.

It was getting late and there was still no sign her. I walked out of my room and heard laughter coming from the down the hall. _Always making a commotion._ I walked outside the complex, jumped up in a tree and waited. Natsumi walked outside the complex and sat down on a stair, licking her ice cream. Her long, red hair was now short and choppy.

"_Tell me how shopping can assist with finding Yukina." _I said.

Natsumi looked around before spotting me in the tree I was in. _"I completed my task. I decided to enjoy myself if I did my part." _she responded, taking the last bite of the first scoop of ice cream. Her face wrinkled as she must have gotten a little bit of the green ice cream too. _"Scoot over and open your hands." _I scooted over and opened my hands, my palms facing up. She appeared beside me, giving me a map and the ice cream cone before appearing back at the stair she was sitting at. _"The forest that Hideki was talking about is just outside the city that I was at." _She stood up and walked inside the complex. The smell of peaches lingered where she had been. I took a bite of the ice cream. _Mint chocolate chip...not bad._

Natsumi's POV

I had managed to put all the clothes in my dressers and all my shoes lined up neatly on floor. I felt exhausted. I went to the bathroom and ran the water for my shower. Fitting the shower cap over my hair, I stepped in the shower and washed up. It felt like the shower drained me of all energy. I forced myself to brush my teeth and pull a nightshirt over me. I collapsed on my bed, rolling the top cover over me and falling asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke early in the morning. My eyes felt heavy, I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep but I knew I needed to get up. I got out of bed with a sigh and fixed the top cover. Yawning, I shuffled to where my black and blue outfit was and took it off the hangar, bringing it with me to the bathroom. After taking care of my morning routine, I was dressed in my outfit with the exception of having my hood down around my neck. I walked outside of my room, yawning again and walked to where Koenma's office was. I halted mid-stride as Hiei marched out of the office.

_"They found her." _was all that he told me, keeping his pace and jumping into the portal provided.

I peeked inside Koenma's office before walking in. Piles upon piles of paperwork covered the tiny ruler's desk.

"Need I ask what's going on?" I chuckled.

"Natsumi! I was just about to send for you. I've heard your request about wanting to meet Kuwabara, and your chance is now." Koenma began. "I'm sending you on the mission. I'll have Botan set you a portal up to Kuwabara's house in just a bit."

I nodded. "I'll be waiting." I turned and exited the office.

I decided it would be best to kill time in the training grounds. I set up my timer and raced myself, hoping to beat my personal record. I finished my lap and grabbed the timer. 3_ seconds too slow._ I glared at my timer before resetting it, determined to get a better time. I pushed the button and sprinted, imagining that my life depended on it. I raced around the imaginary track and skidded to a stop. _1.5 seconds remain._ I exhaled in frustration. I got down in a push-up position and began my set. Botan had appeared a few feet away from me.

"I would save your energy, you might need it later." Botan advised. She opened a portal, motioned me to follow her and jumped in before me.

I smirked, pulling my feet and legs near my stomach and kicking off of the ground, landing on my feet.

_Let's not waste another minute. _I thought as I hopped in the portal.

I landed in Kuwabara's house and Yusuke and Botan were arguing.

"Okay Botan! What the hell kind of explanation did you give her? She thinks I'm a friggin intern at some screwed up after-school program!" Yusuke boomed.

I picked myself up, made my way to the front of the room where Kuwabara was and sat down, watching the two of them. Botan made a cute face that reminded me of a cat.

"...For juvenile delinquents!" Yusuke continued.

"Well, I had to make up something believable to explain your absence without mentioning the supernatural!" she continued, "A basic tenant of Spirit Word is that it can't run properly if normal humans have proof of it!"

"Well you made me sound lame." Yusuke grumbled.

"ENOUGH ALREADY!" Kuwabara broke his silence. I turned to my right to look at him as he turned his head back to look at Yusuke and Botan. "Can we please just watch the video instead of arguing? You're gonna to annoy my sister."

Botan stuck her tongue out and began wiggling her fingers as Yusuke focused his attention to Kuwabara. When Yusuke shifted his attention to Botan, she had her hands clasped, looking innocent.

"Besides, Botan is right," Kuwabara continued, "Keiko's not supposed to know so the truth would only get her in trouble. Maybe you should care more about her safety than worrying about some stupid cover story." he finished.

"I have to agree with this guy and I hardly know him." I said, pointing my thumb in Kuwabara's direction.

Three pairs of eyes were looking at me.

"I just love being tag-teamed." Yusuke grumbled.

"Oh thank you Kuwabara! You're very wise!" Botan approved.

Kuwabara closed his eyes and brought his left hand to his chin. "What can I say, Botan? You and I seem to be a perfect match in every way."

I grinned and bit down on my lip to hold in my amusement. Botan froze in her spot, laughing nervously.

"Now! One more thing before I press play, Urameshi. Whatever kind of mission it is, there is no way I'm getting involved." Kuwabara insisted.

"Okay! Okay! Just start the tape!" Yusuke became impatient.

I turned around and scooted to where I could see the television. Kuwabara pressed play on the remote.

The tape opened up with a picture of Koenma holding a torch standing on a pillar with "KOENMA" in the background.

_Oh God. _I rolled my eyes.

A flesh colored ogre clad in a leopard loincloth held the middle line of the E in another "KOENMA" sign.

"Roar. Snarl. **Snarl.**"

I believe I speak for all when I say we were in a state of incredulity.

Kuwabara was able to manage, "They go all out, huh?"

"Either he's really full of himself or he's really bored." Yusuke muttered.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's the former." I chimed in.

The screen went black, then a spotlight shone on a pink swivel chair.

"Welcome! How do you like my video?" Koenma asked, turning the chair dramatically, the camera closing in on his face. "The great Koenma, ruler of the Spirit World, has yet another important case for you."

Kuwabara turned his head back while pointing at the screen. "This is seriously the guy you get your job from, Urameshi? This little bitty toddler?"

"I said the same thing when I met him and Botan hit me in the head." Yusuke recalled.

Botan waved her right hand over her nose as if she were about to sneeze. "Perhaps that's why Koenma is doing the video this time. He can't bare these first reactions." she matter-of-factually stated.

Kuwabara chuckled.

"This mission will be another doozy. Hopefully, you will survive." Koenma lifted his left index finger and continued, "By the way, don't worry about people entering the room.."

I heard a door open and I turned to look behind me. A girl with long brown hair, brown eyes entered the room with an unlit cigarette in her mouth. She had a tray that had three cups on it.

"...this video is specially imprinted and will appear as annoying fuzz to anyone without heightened spirit awareness. Now, your mission is search and rescue, except without the searching. Watch my magic snap. ***snaps***

The scene was now a green forest that had a layer of mist over it.

"Come on! That's just a cheap camera trick." Yusuke talked to the television as if Koenma could hear him.

I was watching our guest as she stood staring at the screen. Botan giggled. I returned my attention back to the screen.

"This looks hard, Urameshi" Kuwabara said, still watching the video.

"Shut up!" Yusuke ordered.

The camera began to pan out, showing more of the green trees.

"Spirit World intelligence reports that the captive is being held in a mountain stronghold, around two-hundred miles from your city. Not being of driving age yourself, you will have to take the bus. The mountain is a base of criminal activity. Normally, I don't mind that but the humans have made ties with some very nasty demons. The captive's name is Yukina, she's an ice apparition, very rare. The camera was looking over a book that had a generic picture of a woman with her back facing the picture, wearing a long, white robe outside in the snow. The camera then had an up-close shot of Koenma's face. "Equally rare are the beautiful jewels she can produce," Koenma held up a small, circular orb between his thumb and index finger. It looked similar to a pearl, in my opinion. "which is why the criminals have captured her."

The camera went back to the basic forest footage. "They hope to profit greatly off of Yukina, forcing her to create these jewels at an unnatural pace and by force, I mean torture." The footage finally showed me something useful, a large, three story mansion with a heliport in the front. From there, the camera zoomed up to a tower on the left side of the house. The image enlarged was a window that had talismans around. A silhouette of a person could be seen sitting in a chair.

"That's horrible!" Botan blurted.

The camera was once again on Koenma's face. He held up his index finger. "You see, there is only one way to make the jewels. Her tears."

Botan's eyes widened. "Yes. The Hiruseki stone. In the black market, those jewels sell easily for thousands."

The camera zoomed out and a large green helicopter landed on the heliport. A short, stout man in a purple suit waddled out."Here is the human behind the operation. His name is Gonzo Tarukane, a jeweler and a thug, he's made something of a name and a fortune for himself in the black market by selling rare jewels." The up close shot of Tarukane showed that the man's entire left face was swollen and looked like it had a huge knot. He also had a peculiar bump on his bald head. I studied his face carefully as I began plotting how to make him even uglier. The camera then showed Tarukane's mugshot.

"Eee! He's too ugly to be a human!" Kuwabara declared.

"He's too ugly to be anything." Yusuke commented.

"Here are the most recent pictures we have of Yukina." The camera showed a girl with mint-colored hair in a light blue kimono, with a darker blue obi sitting in a chair with her hands on her lap. Her crimson eyes were dark. "Memorize her face. This mission goes far beyond jewelry thieves. It is imperative that you bring her back quickly." Koenma instructed.

My stomach dropped. _Hiei had a fraternal sister and she's being tortured. _My anger was rising.

Kuwabara began blushing deeply.

"Oh, I feel awful for her. We have to leave today." Botan insisted.

Without saying a word, Kuwabara stood tall.

"What's his deal?" Yusuke asked.

Kuwabara trembled. He looked down at Yusuke.

"You look miserable." Yusuke chuckled to his friend.

"I..think I'm in love." Kuwabara admitted.

"What?" Yusuke was perplexed.

Kuwabara swung his arms to his side. "Well, c'mon Urameshi! Let's send those bad guys to the moon!" he shouted.

"I thought you weren't coming?" Yusuke raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up! Don't try and dress up the facts again! I'm a good friend and I can't let you save her alone! Ugh! She's suffering! Umm...Shizuru?"

"How long have you been here?" Botan asked Shizuru.

"Calm down princess, I just heard you watching that weirdo movie, so I thought you would like some kiddie snacks or something." Shizuru explained.

"We were just watching fuzz." Yusuke said.

"Fuzz. Yes Fuzz! We...find it relaxing." Botan attempted to support Yusuke's comment.

I had enough. I stood up and walked towards Shizuru, grabbing a cup from the tray. "I appreciate your thoughtfulness. Thank you for my kiddie snack. I chugged the tea down and returned it to the tray. "I'll be around. Catch up to me." I called, leaving the Kuwabara household.

In a blur, I had left the city behind. I was making my way up to the base of the mountain. I needed to clear my head. I passed the base of the mountain and continued to run, leap and scale the mountain. When I had reached the top, I scanned the open area. I couldn't see anything that resembled where the mansion was. I sat down, the elevation and my running resulted me being lightheaded. I couldn't stop thinking about what those monsters did and were doing to Yukina. I recalled the memory of what it was like to have siblings. It pained me, for everything was taken from me on the day of the betrayal. I shook my head, dismissing the memory. I put on my hood and descended down the mountain, my mission was to save Yukina.

Botan, Yusuke and Kuwabara were waiting at the bus stop.

"Hey guys." I greeted.

"Wow! Now this is a big waste of space." Yusuke said.

"You know, Yusuke, some people like the wilderness." Botan pointed out.

"Yeah. Old hermits and people that don't like talking to girls." Yusuke retorted.

I noticed that Kuwabara was silent as he began to stalk off.

"Is he alright?" I whispered to Yusuke and Botan.

"Hey! Where are you goin?" Yusuke called to his friend. The three of us followed after Kuwabara.

Kuwabara had stopped ahead, unsure of where to go. Botan took the lead, saying we needed to take a left.

"This place smells like ass." Yusuke complained.

Even though the mindset was serious, I couldn't help but to chuckle at Yusuke's misery.

"Do you know why it smells like ass, Yusuke?" I asked, a serious tone in my voice. Yusuke shook his head no. "This place is dying. I can feel a.." I paused, thinking of the right word. "Taint. This land feels corrupted."

"How can you feel and smell these things?" Yusuke wanted to know.

"Hello? Earth to Yusuke, I'm a Demon." I pointed at myself.

"You're a demon?!" Kuwabara panicked.

I stopped walking. "Seriously? We're on our way to save one yet you're freaking out about me?" I asked in bewilderment. I turned to Yusuke, "Does he know that Kurama and Hiei are demons?"

"Why didn't you ask me, I'm right here ya know!" Kuwabara interrupted Yusuke. "Yeah I knew that Kurama and shorty were demons."

"His name is Hiei, not shorty!" I corrected.

"Oho! So you gotta thing for shorty, do ya?" Kuwabara implied. "You can do a lot better. Maybe you should try going out with Kurama. He seems like he knows how to treat a girl."

"Shut your mouth or so help me, I will make you wish your death was swift!" I threatened.

Botan had to backtrack and break up our verbal argument.

"Natsumi, you know you can't kill a human. Kuwabara, be nice."

"You know there is no way we're going to find this house by nightfall." Yusuke changed the topic.

"The forest looked a lot smaller on the map." Kuwabara agreed.

Botan and I walked side by side up a small hill. "Come on boys! The other trail goes all the way to the top! I think it's our best bet."

"Let's go Urameshi! Wait for me Yukina! Your true love is coming!" Kuwabara yelled, running past Botan and me.

"I guess he's done being in love with you, Botan." Yusuke said as he approached us.

"Darn." replied Botan.

"What are you guys waiting for? We got a girl to rescue!" Kuwabara waved his hands in excitement.

"Shouldn't we tell him about the rest of the video?" Botan wondered.

"Absolutely not." I said. I received two curious glances on how I knew what they were referring to.

We continued to follow Kuwabara before he abruptly stopped. We all looked around wondering what was going on.

"So...do we know where we go now?" I asked.

"I'm sensing something really bad." Kuwabara said.

"The compass is going crazy!" Botan warned. The compass on Botan's wrist was making all sorts of whistles, beeps and shrill sounds.

I glared at the wretched thing on Botan's wrist. "Shut it off!" I hissed.

A man with short purple hair and circular glasses wearing a brown suit approached us.

"Hey! How's it going, neighbor?" Yusuke inquired.

"You're on private property, boys and girls. You had better leave" the man stated.

"We can't leave, we just got here." Kuwabara jeered.

"Yeah, we're lost and the birds ate our breadcrumbs." Yusuke jested.

"Pretty please, let us stay at your master's house?" Botan added.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that." the male demon smirked.

"Come on, we know he has plenty of room." Kuwabara pressed.

"It's a shame that I cannot see how a crime lord decorates his house." I taunted.

"Crime lord?" the male demon bent his head, "You seem to know a lot for being lost. You had your chance!" the man yelled as he began to transform. The suit ripped apart as green tentacles replaced the human legs and the face now had a snout on it.

"We don't have TIME for this!" I yelled as I dashed behind the demon, stabbed him in the back with my daggers and used his back to propel myself out of the way of Kuwabara's spirit sword. Yusuke finished him off with a spirit gun.

We continued our trek up the mountain when the trail we were following ended.

"Kind of stupid to have a mountain trail that ends halfway up the mountain, huh?" Yusuke grumbled. "I guess they don't encourage much camping around here."

"Yes, the stronghold is very well hidden. But we should be able to find it eventually by following Yukina's energy." Botan made sure to show her wrist compass.

"Ugh, why are you still using that compass? Just follow my way." Kuwabara raised his right pinky and waved it in a circular motion. "The red pinky string!" he declared.

Botan shared a questioning glance with Yusuke.

"The what?" Botan questioned.

"The moment I saw her, my love stretched out and tied us together. You see?" Kuwabara held his pinky straight out.

"He's talking about the red string of fate. It's said that everyone has a red string that is tied to someone else-your soul mate. The string can tangle and knot but it will never be broken." I mused.

"Let's follow the thread of destiny, tied to my love." Kuwabara chuckled and began to sprint.

We had come across another clearing in the woods.

"Yukina!" Kuwabara yelled still holding his pinky out. He stopped and pondered which way to take before breaking to the left.

"Wait Kuwabara, it's this way!" Botan pointed in the opposite direction.

"Yeah, but I just get a really bad feeling. Let's go around." he suggested.

"My compass says follow the path, we don't have time for detours." Botan said while she was walking. She tripped over a hidden string and was pulled upside down.

I used my speed to warp behind Botan, severing the string that was around her ankle with my dagger. I landed and held my arms to catch Botan, saving her from getting caught in the demon spider's web.

"Whoopsie." she said.

Kuwabara summoned his spirit sword and began slicing away at the spider demon and her web.

"Pardon me if I make this quick." Yusuke said, charging up his spirit power in his fist. He landed a clean punch through the spider demon's stomach.

It was getting dark so Yusuke, Botan and Kuwabara began preparing a camp. Kuwabara had gotten the firewood so I gave a little fireball to warm the three up. I was lying down, straddling a branch that overlooked our little camp. I felt a familiar energy and looked over to my left.

"_You found a way to escape Koenma." _I greeted him.

"_Of course. You didn't think that the toddler and his lackies could keep me under house arrest, do you?" _Hiei responded.

I grinned. _"I knew you'd show up. I was able hear the detective's great plan and I know him and Kuwabara will be going through the front gate. I'm planning a discreet attack by storming the mansion from another angle. I have already disconnected several cameras that I had spotted along our way." _I reported.

"_I'm listening." _Hiei said.

"_Once the detective is up, I will take leave and scout for a side entrance or a back door. From there, I will need your assistance as I try to locate something that I hold in high value."_

"_Why would I assist you when my sister needs to be saved?"_

"_Firstly, you need you trust in our team. Yusuke and Kuwabara are more than capable of safely rescuing her. Second, I was able to provide you information on the whereabouts of your sister before Spirit World intelligence found out. Lastly, you owe me." _

"_Very well, I will assist you. If the detective and his friend fails, which they will, I will tear the mansion down." _Hiei vowed.

"_Just trust me. Get some rest, you're not useful if you're sleepy." _I ended my conversation with Hiei.

The night was peaceful, I watched over my team as they were sleeping. I had witnessed the fire die down, to the sun that was beginning to rise. I lifted my head and checked the team's energies. Everyone was ready for whatever the day had in store. I had rested my chin on the branch I was still lying on.

_Hiei was locked down to a table. A man was standing over Hiei's head._

"_Everybody screams. The only question is, what will you say?" _said the man.

_A circular machine descended. A needle protruded before splitting off into a square shape, spinning rapidly. The whirring sound became louder as the spinning machine drew closer._

_Yukina as a child, with one bird on her left shoulder, and one she was holding between her tiny hands._

"Yukina!" Hiei had called out, waking up.

At the same time that Hiei had called out for Yukina, I bolted into a sitting position, gasping for air.

"Did you hear something?" Botan asked Yusuke.

I stood up on my branch and began to jump through the trees, Hiei catching up to me in a few moments.

I disconnected another camera and continued soaring through the trees. I thought we were making excellent time as the mansion was right in front of us. The trees had thinned out and we would need to walk on the ground. My eyes searched for any ground inconsistencies, and, yup there it was.

I formed a fire ball in my right hand and threw it where the soil had a crack.

**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! **The landmines had a domino effect, one explosion after the next. Our side was clear so I jumped down and began running in the thick smoke. I pulled out my daggers and flipped them around, facing the blades towards me. I began knocking the humans out and searching for a key carrier.

"_There are more humans on the other side." _I informed Hiei. I ran forward, knocking more humans out. There was one that I spotted I believed had the key. I forced myself to warp behind him and knock him out but he parried.

"Nice try!" the man laughed.

I charged at him again, changing directions while warping to get that knock out. He delivered a clean kick to my ribs and I went flying back. The guy had been knocked out by Hiei. Still laying on the ground, I held up the keys to show Hiei he didn't need to search the body. I got up and walked to the door, trying every key until one unlocked. I looked at Hiei and went inside.

The back part of the mansion was dimly lit and desolate. I searched every room that I could, rummaging through papers and jewelry settings. We had cleared the whole back and not even a hint of what I was looking for. I sighed, tugging at my hood to make sure that it covered my hair. Where could it be? I closed my eyes, thinking about where I would put it if I were a thug. I opened my eyes and took a flight of stairs to the second floor.

The second floor was easier to navigate, I was able to quickly search the rooms. We came across door that was locked. I had set to work trying to find the correct key. I had tried all of the keys and none fit. I kicked the door. Nothing happened.

"I think my necklace is in there."

"You brought me here for a necklace?" Hiei glared.

"It's more than just a necklace, it is the only thing that remains of my people. I was supposed to receive it after the ceremony celebrating me as the Phoenix." I admitted. "I just need to get this door open." I held the handle of one door and and it began melting. I focused my energy in my hand, pushing through the door. I then channeled my power in my forearm, widening the hole. I reached in, felt around and unlocked the other door. Opening the non burned door, I stepped inside.

I scanned the room for a sign of my necklace. Nothing that was hanging on display was it. My head began to pound, my blood rushing around so I couldn't hear anything. My vision was fading, I could only see the desk in front of me, everything else was white. I stumbled to the back of the desk, the only thing I could see was the second to the last drawer on the left. I gripped the knob and opened the only drawer I saw. More white surrounded my vision and I could only concentrate on the contents of the drawer. My hands began searching the inside of the drawer when I felt a spark run up my right hand. I gasped in surprise. I grabbed my necklace and pulled it from the drawer and examined it. The ivory-etched pendant with wings curved into a circle, holding a lava stone in the middle, a small leather cord laced through the pendant. I heard a humming noise as I lifted the pendant over my head and around my neck.

"Oh, shi-" was all I was able to say.

It was as if time stopped in that moment. The Phoenix stood before me, her fire red and orange wings folded back. Her crimson eyes looked me over before speaking to me in a melodious voice.

"My child, it has been years since the ritual."

I nodded. "I'm not entirely sure what happened. The Elders, they never had a chance to..." I paused, looking away to the right. "They're gone. Everyone is gone." my voice cracked.

"Were you able to receive your piercing from the Rite of Arms?" the Phoenix questioned.

"Yes." I opened my mouth, showing her my tongue ring.

"Well," the Phoenix paused, choosing her words carefully, "It will only prove half as difficult to accept me. I can sense you have become much stronger than I anticipated without my help."

"Thank you, my Queen." I smiled and bowed. "How do I accept you? What must I do?"

"At this moment, my powers are sealed within the lava stone in the necklace. You will need to channel your energy at the stone. Once the stone is cracked, there is no going back."

"May you elaborate on the 'no going back' part?"

"One of two things will happen. If you and your body accept me, I will reside in your mind, ready to act when you call. If your body cannot handle my power, I will take over your body and you will have died. I would have your mortal life to live and would need to seal my powers back into the necklace and find a new host."

"Oh." I squeaked. "May you tell me more about what will happen once I accept you? Like, what would I be capable of, exactly?"

The Phoenix laughed, like singsong bells. "If your body accepts me, you will have access to all of my powers. You can never truly die, your healing factor will be multiplied and you will not age. However, pain is a natural process and that is something I cannot aid you in." she answered.

"So I just crack the stone with my power? I don't have to say an incantation or do any prep work?"

"Just crack the stone and be ready. If you succeed, you would be the first to do so."

"No pressure or anything." I concluded sarcastically.

"You might want to inform your...interest before you start this process." she turned to face where Hiei stood frozen at the door, with crossed arms against his chest and an impatient look on his face.

"Is it true what the Elders told me? That you will know who your mate is if you can share their memories?" I blurted.

"It is." she confirmed. "Time grows short. Crack the stone when you are ready."

Time seemed to speed up again as Hiei was at the side of the desk I was sitting at.

"You made me risk my sister's safety for you to sit and stare off in space?" Hiei snapped.

I reached around my neck and took the necklace off. "No. I need you. If I don't make it, it's not going to be me. She's going to be wearing my body, but I'll be dead." I set the necklace in the middle of the desk, got up and walked to the front of the desk and in front of the necklace.

"You're not making any sense."

"Please Hiei. I need to do this. I don't know what I'm expecting but I can't lose. I won't lose." I held out my right hand over the necklace. I took in a deep breath and exhaled. I began to summon my energy to my hand, the size of the fireball increasing. I had all of my energy contained in my massive fireball. "Here I go!" I yelled as I launched all of my energy towards the necklace. A beacon of fire rose from where the necklace was and headed straight for me. It hit me in my chest and knocked me on my back. The fire was bearable at first but the intensity of the flames rose as well as the temperatures. I screamed and writhed in pain, tears falling freely from my squeezed eyes. I felt as though I couldn't breathe, I was choking. I rolled myself over, coughing and trying to catch my breath. "Is that all you got?!" I howled as the fire began burning my insides. I doubled over and rolled around trying to find a cold spot on the ground.

"_We're half way through" _I heard the Phoenix.

I cried out as another wave of fire roared in my chest. I began clawing at my leather shirt trying to tear it off. Another molten wave hit. My back arched up and my hands were forced to my sides on the floor. I was trying my best to hold in my agony but at this point I didn't care what Hiei had thought.

"Just take me already! I can handle it!" I screamed. A massive fireball came flying towards me hitting me in the chest. The immense heat had me sweating profusely as I felt the fireball penetrating my skin and making its way to my heart. I had no voice to scream. I convulsed on the floor, panting and gasping. My heart was already pounding and it felt like the fireball was trying to squeeze itself in there. _Oh my god, my heart is going to literally burst_. I rolled on my stomach. "Just put it in already." I begged, getting on my hands and knees, clutching my chest. My heart stopped. I looked up at Hiei with tears still falling down my face. I collapsed.

I inhaled deeply, as if I had never taken a breath before. My vision came into focus as black boots were near me. I groaned as I began to pick myself up from the ground. Standing up, I looked around. The only sign of a fire was where I had put all my energy in my fireball blast. I walked over to the desk, picked up the necklace, and put it around my neck.

I turned and faced Hiei. "So I must have looked insane, screaming and crying when there was no fire." I gave him a small smile.

"You are more powerful." Hiei stated.

"I guess." I shrugged. "Let's go get Yukina."

Hiei and I raced through the mansion, finally approaching the door that held Tarukane's voice. I opened the door as Hiei stood in the doorway. He raced forward and I followed, knocking out all the humans in the room before they had an opportunity to fire their guns.

"Pathetic." I spat.

Hiei began to talk to Tarukane about how the game was up. I had felt another spirit energy and began searching where Kurama was. The sound of glass cracking forced me to stop searching and watch Hiei. Punch after punch, Hiei mercilessly beat the crap out of Tarukane's face. I walked over to Hiei's right side, watching as Tarukane's face produce more blood.

Hiei was about to deliver the final blow when Yukina grabbed his left arm.

"No!" she yelled.

I was disappointed to say the least. Tarukane deserved to pay for his crimes. As Yukina began why she doesn't want any more fighting, I found Kurama. I shot him a questioning glance before returning to where Hiei and Yukina stood.

"...I'm just a member of the team." Hiei finished, looking down at Botan, Yusuke and Kuwabara. He then turned and looked at me.

I grinned. "Well Yukina, let's go make our way down so you can meet the team." I swung my left arm over her shoulders giving her a side hug. I dropped my arm and began to walk side by side with her.

We had made our way down to where the fight with the Toguro brothers took place. Yukina rushed off to Kuwabara and I caught up with Yusuke and Botan.

"So did his true love thing actually work?" I asked.

"He said he could talk to her telepathically." Yusuke answered.

"Fun times, when Hiei finds out about this." I thought aloud.

"Don't say a word!" Botan warned.

"I'm not going to have to." I replied, watching Yukina heal Kuwabara's face.

We all arrived back in Spirit World. I headed to my room to take a shower and sleep. In the middle of my shower, the Phoenix began to talk.

"_So you weren't going to ask if you survived or not?"_

"_I had thought about it. But when I recognized Hiei...I just knew."_

"_There is something special about him."_

I smiled and finished my shower. Wrapping up in a towel, I went to my pajama drawer and grabbed an over-sized shirt. I pulled the shirt over my head, hung up my towel and climbed in bed. I rolled on my right side, putting my right arm under a pillow and fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Back in the mountain stronghold of Tarukane, the Toguro brothers picked themselves up off of the ground. Sakyo appeared before them on the screen sitting in a black chair, with a light brown skinned man behind him. The man had golden eyes and wore a skull over his face.

"Excellent performance, Toguros. You almost had me fooled." Sakyo praised.

The younger Toguro turned to the screen, "We have excellent hearing. Once we overheard the boys' plan, it was simple to play along. Though, I was afraid I was going to kill them both before I could fake a believable loss." he paused. "I hope you don't me letting the girl go. I didn't see any good reason for making her die. Who knows? Maybe you'll want to profit off her tears someday.

"That's fine. The girl is of no consequence to me now, not when I think of all the money our great plan will be affording me." Sakyo said.  
"We're so glad that our client is pleased. Now, my brother and I, we have a little favor to ask in return. Please give us an opportunity to fight with those boys again. This time, seriously."  
"But of course, Toguro. They will be two of the most anticipated guests in the dark martial arts competition."  
"I should have known all along. Extorting Tarukane's fortune was only half your plan. You wanted to see the competition."  
Sayko laughed. "You're very keen. So, tell me, what did you think of their powers?"  
"That Yusuke Urameshi boy is very intriguing. He lacks the fighting experience but could be a dangerous weapon. There was another girl besides the blue-haired one. She seems like a fun fight." He smirked. "But I hear she is for Keisuke's purpose."  
"If she is running with that pack, it will be easy to catch her." Keisuke said in a gruff voice.  
Sakyo sat in thought for a few moments. "I suppose we could get two birds with one stone." he said, looking at Younger Toguro.  
"The thing with birds, they can't fly far if they're pinioned." the elder Toguro spoke up.  
Sakyo, the Toguro brothers and Keisuke all shared laughter.

_I found myself sitting in a dark room, facing a fireplace. The flames cracked and popped wanting more wood to burn. I reached over and fed the fire some wood that was nearby. I heard footsteps behind me and I froze._  
_"So, you're willing to care for a fire more than your friends?" a familiar deep voice asked._  
_I turned my head and came face to face with an enormous pair of boots that had spikes protruding in every direction. "You're not real. This never happened." I said, shaking my head._  
_"I can promise you that this is very real." Tendrils wrapped themselves around me and lifted me up, bringing me to the golden eyes of the man behind the white skull. I struggled to release myself from the grip of the tendrils, in return they squeezed me harder. "What's this?" a massive hand reached for the necklace that was around my neck._  
_"It's a necklace, obviously." I sneered._  
_My head swung to the left as the retort came in the form of a slap. I forced myself to straighten out and center my head, challenging this monster. "I know girls that slap harder than that." I smirked._  
_"I lost you to the Phoenix." It wasn't a question._  
_"You can't lose something you never had." I spat._  
_A hand wrapped itself around my neck and began to squeeze. I tried to keep my focus on the man. Without warning, I was released. "Natsumi, I know you're in there. I know the Phoenix is with you too."_

_I didn't want to be in this dream anymore. I had to wake up. My face displayed my discomfort._  
_"It's a certain curse, isn't it? Having your own dreams turn against you." The man laughed._  
_"Shut up and leave me alone!" I yelled._  
_"To think that your clan used this only to warn of danger or hold secret meetings. Such a waste. In these dreams, so much can happen."_  
_I could sense he was smirking as the tendrils began pulling my arms and legs away from my body.  
__"You know nothing of my clan! How dare you speak of them in mockery!" I gasped as the tendrils continued to pull.  
__"Oh Natsumi. Are you sure everyone is dead? Are you sure you counted right? Did you bury everyone and mark their graves?" the man interrogated.  
__I didn't have any words. Did I bury everyone? Had others survived? I began to question myself.  
__"I possess the power to find you anywhere the minute you go to sleep. You cannot avoid me, you can't outrun me." he cackled.  
__"You don't know where I am. You're bluffing." I tested him.  
__"Somewhere in Spirit World, under the watchful eye of Koenma, yes?" My face told him all he needed. "I hear you're running in a pack with four men. Have you feelings for any of them?"  
__I tilted my head back, the pain overwhelming me. I inhaled, picked my head up and breathed fire at him. I was released._

I woke up with a start. I ran my right hand through my hair before breaking down in tears. This wasn't a dream or a nightmare. This was happening. I was still a target for some psychopath that murdered my clan. Somehow, he is using the Shattered Skull's special technique of being able to communicate through dreams. I clung onto one part, had everyone died? Is this person part of my clan? The seed had been planted, I began to doubt everything I had done.

I got up, changed into my battle-worn outfit and headed for the training grounds. I started hitting the target dummies that were set up. I pounded, punched and kicked the targets, my rage not releasing. I didn't hear that someone had followed me out to the training grounds.  
"Isn't it a little late in the night to be training?" Kurama asked.  
I kept my back to him, not wanting him to see that I was crying as I was training. It would be easier if I could communicate with him telepathically, but that was something I was able to do with Hiei exclusively. I knew my voice would betray me. "I have to do this." my voice cracked.  
"Natsumi, is everything okay?" Kurama stepped closer to me, I warped to his right side.  
"No Kurama. Nothing is okay." I sniffed. "I have been having dreams of my past. That's fine! I can handle that I've lost friends, family and people I cared about. I can handle that I failed them and they're all dead because of me. But what I can't handle," I paused, trying to hold in my tears, "I can't handle that this psychopath can walk in my dreams! I can't run from him! He knows I'm here and I don't know who the hell he is!" I wailed and sat down and wrapped my arms around my legs.  
"What does he want from you?" Kurama sat down next to me.  
I shrugged. "I don't know! Me? My consent for something? Submitting to power?" I recalled. "I try not to pay attention to these things because I want to leave my past there, in the past. It keeps following me. I don't want to tell you I'm scared but it's true! I'm terrified of this guy and it's stupid!" I rambled.  
"How can he walk into your dreams, exactly?" Kurama was calm and collected.  
"I don't know. Only members my clan, the Shattered Skull, could do that. I thought everyone had died. I know it's my fault that everyone died. I don't know if I'm dealing with a re-animation of one of my kind...or there is a survivor and he's pissed."  
"Why do you blame yourself for the murder of your clan?"  
"It was my betrayal. The Elders told me it was time to crack the lava stone," I held up my necklace to show him. "And I ran away. I ran away because I didn't want to die; I wasn't ready to die. I didn't feel ready to take on the Phoenix and I felt they wanted to dispose of me...so I ran." I choked out. I took a deep breath and continued. "When I had returned, everything was being destroyed. Rocks were rising from the earth and being used to crush everything my clan had built. The ground was littered with bodies and blood flowed in the streets. There were great fires that swallowed houses, smoke was everywhere. I saw three people that were the cause of all the chaos. One of them grabbed me, and began burning me alive...I don't know how I survived." I admitted. I had calmed down considerably after speaking to Kurama about what weighed heavily upon me.  
"It's not a cure, but I believe I can make a dream bag of sorts to hide your location and help you control your dreams." he said his thought aloud.  
"If you could, that would be great. I'm not sleeping until you make it." I laughed. "No rush though, I'm up for today." I paused, "Hey? Kurama?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Thank you. For everything." I smiled and got up, warping to the complex.

I headed inside to my room to take a shower. I picked out some human clothes, figuring I could hang out in the human world. I dressed myself in black pants and a red tank top, wearing flat footed checkered shoes. I brushed my hair, attempting to style it. I looked myself over, feeling out of place for not having my leather on. I scoffed at myself for even worrying if I looked okay. I peeked at the mirror one last time. This outfit showed my figure more than my leather. _I'm going to rock this outfit today_. I gave myself a quick pep-talk and nodded.

I watched the sun come up from the living room windows of the complex. I heard the day begin for the ogres as they hurried along the building eager to start work. I decided I would ask Koenma if I could visit the human world. I got up and began making my way to his office when Kurama opened his door.  
"Good morning, Natsumi." he greeted.  
"Kurama! Good morning." I smiled.  
"Here" Kurama handed me a bag that had a weird symbol on it.  
I took the bag and examined the symbol. "What does this mean?" I pointed to it.  
"It's a ward to throw off your true location, while you are asleep."  
"Thanks Kurama! You're a lifesaver! I can be beautiful again with my beauty sleep!" I quipped.  
"It works best to have it near your head. So hang it up or put it near your pillow."  
"Will do! Thanks again!" I called as I walked to my room and put the bag underneath my left pillow.

I made it to Koenma's office and knocked on the door. It opened and I walked in.  
"Hey Koenma. Can I go to the human world?" I cut right to the chase.  
"Natsumi, it would be in your best interest to show a little respect to your authorities."  
I rolled my eyes. "Good morning, Koenma-sir! I was hoping that your grace would allow my passing to the human world on this beautiful day." I mocked.  
"Seriously Natsumi! You know what? Go. I have more important things to do than banter with you." he waved me off.  
I thought if anyone were to carry the right to be grumpy this morning, it would be me. I felt proud of myself for taking the higher road and choosing to be happy, despite everything going on. I refused to let my dream get the best of me.

I exited the office, giving a wave to Koenma, Botan was already there, waiting for me at the portal.  
"What's going on today?" she asked.  
"I don't know. I just want to get out. Maybe get some ice cream or something." I grinned at her.  
"You had me at ice cream" she laughed as she jumped in the portal, I followed behind.

We landed on the outskirts of the city. I looked around, trying to find anything worth my interest. My eyes focused on a store that had weird signs and black circular things.  
"What's that, Botan?" I asked, pointing to the store.  
"That's a music store. Want to check it out?"  
I nodded. I loved music. The thunderous beat of the drums, clacking of the shells, shrill but beautiful song of the flute, and the powerful belts of the horn.

We entered inside and I immediately regretted it. This was not the music that I was hoping for. It was so foreign, so many things happening within the song itself. Botan shot me a worried glance.  
"Are you okay?"  
"This isn't music!" I exclaimed. I'm not sure what popular artist was playing, but this music was not the music that I loved.  
I stormed out of the store, Botan following after me.  
"Botan." I stopped walking and turned to her. "The music that I was hoping for; expecting even, was something similar to my clan. I keep forgetting I'm not from here." I laughed.  
"It's okay. We have to start slow, is all." Botan encouraged.  
"You're right." I agreed.

Botan changed her clothes to a girls uniform from Yusuke's school before we went to meet up with Yusuke. We came upon three boys making a bet why Kuwabara was upset. I left Botan with Yusuke and caught up with Kuwabara.  
"Hey." I greeted.  
"Oh. Hey Natsumi."  
"How are you holding up?"  
"I miss her."  
"It's not the last you're going to see of her." I reassured him. "I believe you and your pinky string. Things have a way of working out if they are destined." I gave him a pat on the back.  
"Thanks." he gave me a smile.  
"I should be meeting back up with Botan in the city, do you mind walking me there?"  
"Of course not. Let's go." Kuwabara cheered up that someone took the time to talk to him and make his feelings validated.

We had turned a corner in the city, to see police were holding back a crowd.  
"What's going on here?" Kuwabara asked, walking over to see what was going on.  
Me being short, I couldn't see what was going on, so I decided to go around and get to higher ground when I spotted Yusuke talking to... _The man that was walking down the staircase!_ I didn't notice him at Tarukane's place because I was wrapped up in watching Yukina and talking with Botan and Yusuke. I watched them as they left and jogged to Kuwabara, tugging him away from the crowd.  
"We gotta go."

It took us awhile to find where Yusuke and the younger Toguro brother were.  
"I just need a sign!" I called out.  
As if on cue, I heard the sound of something collapsing. I grabbed Kuwabara's sleeve and began running, dragging him with me. We stopped at a bridge to watch a newly built parking structure collapse.  
"No!" I yelled.

Yusuke emerged from under a slab of concrete. I heard the younger Toguro say something about a dark tournament. As the younger Toguro turned and left Yusuke, Yusuke fell to his knees and began cursing himself. I jumped over and off of the bridge, running towards the younger Toguro brother.

The younger Toguro stopped, looking up. He had said something to whomever he had his attention on. I drew my daggers and gave him a solid stab in his exposed torso on the left. I turned around and sprinted towards him again, my fury rising. The younger Toguro was forced to pay attention to me as I charged towards him.  
"You saved me some time searching for you." Toguro growled.  
I jumped up in the air, before warping down and slicing his calves. I skidded off to the side.  
"I was just telling Yusuke that I had only used twenty-percent of my power as I beat him and Kuwabara senseless. I'm at sixty-percent right now. Do you think it's wise to fight me?"  
"I'm not a human, I can take you." I stated.  
"Natsumi! No!" Kurama yelled from the rooftop.  
Toguro charged at me but I easily evaded. I blew a kiss to Toguro. He charged again and I took the opportunity to slice his right side. I flipped in the air, smiling, before seeing Toguro right in front of me. He grabbed me out of the air and threw me against a wall. I coughed as my breath was knocked out of me. Toguro had a left hook coming, so I ducked under and moved out of the way. Toguro turned and grabbed my right foot, pulling me to him. He swung me around and tried to throw me against the wall. I stretched out my arms and grabbed the corner of the wall, flipping myself over. I dashed to my daggers and distanced myself from Toguro.  
"Are the poisons kicking in yet?" I smirked  
Toguro charged and I got another clean slice in, on his left arm. I kept low to the ground, using it to my advantage. Toguro had stopped, not moving a single muscle. I appeared to his right, stabbing his right arm. Toguro grabbed me and slammed me in the ground. I coughed again, this time blood came out. Toguro had picked up a concrete slab and threw it down at me. I dashed out of the way, narrowly avoiding the attack. Toguro was on the offensive, bending down to pick me up. I rolled out of the way. Toguro picked out my dagger in his right arm. He tossed it back and it landed with a loud **clang**.  
Groaning, I picked myself up and began making a dash to the right. I then maneuvered left, grabbing my dagger and stopping in front of Toguro.  
"You fight well at sixty-percent of my power. How about one hundred?!" Toguro yelled as he began getting more powerful. I almost puked when I saw how muscular he was, taking on a whole new form. He had a thick layer of muscle surrounding his head and large shoulder pad like things.  
_Phoenix! I need you!"_ I called out for her. The Phoenix's reply was me yelling out as my energy too, was rising. Toguro charged with a right hook. I grabbed his arm and swung myself around it. I tried stabbing his back but my daggers couldn't penetrate his thick muscles. He reached behind and grabbed me, flinging to the me to the side, sending me flying backwards. I tried flipping myself so I could land on my feet, but there he was elbowing me straight to the ground. I coughed, more blood coming up. He picked me up and gave me a one-two punch while I was in the air. I was then kicked in the stomach and sent flying again.  
_"Dammit Phoenix! What's going on?!"_ I was getting the crap kicked out of me. I couldn't escape, he was too fast. _Fight, damn you, FIGHT!_ With all of my power, I increased my speed to warp out of Toguro's fatal blow. I looked like hell. I had blood running from my nose and out of both corners of my mouth. My tank top was shredded, a flimsy piece remained, my left arm was in an unnatural position. I ripped off my tank top only to notice a piece of concrete was lodged in my left side. I dropped to my knees. Toguro appeared in front of me, grabbing my hair and pulling me up to his eye level.  
"You weren't even worth going one-hundred percent. Perhaps eighty would have sufficed."  
I weakly kicked at his torso as my response.  
Toguro released his grip and I crumpled on the ground. He turned away, making his exit.

"What in the hell were you thinking?" Yusuke yelled running towards me.  
I managed a smile. "I thought I was pretty inspiring."  
"You fool. He played with you the entire time." Hiei pointed out.  
I took my right hand and felt where the concrete was in my side. I tried removing it but inhaled sharply. "Can one of you boys be so kind to remove this for me?" I weakly laughed before going into a fit of coughs.  
"I'll do it." Kurama volunteered.  
"Kuwabara, come here." I ordered, reaching out my hand.  
"Okay." he held out his hand and I grabbed it.  
"Kurama! Go!" I instructed.  
Kurama yanked out the concrete piece that was in my side. I squeezed Kuwabara's hand and held my breath. I dropped my grip from his hand and threw my head back, hitting the ground. My right hand gripped my side.  
"Move your hand, we can bandage it." Kurama said.  
I did as I was told. Upon moving my hand, the large hole had disappeared.  
"Woah! That's creepy!" Kuwabara shuddered.  
"Okay. One more thing. Who's good at re-breaking arms?" My eyes went between Kurama and Hiei.  
Hiei appeared to my left side. He took my arm, aligned it, and used great force to put it in place. I cried out and fell to my knees cursing. After a couple deep breathing exercises, I got up and began testing out my left arm. Good as new. It didn't occur to me that my chest wrappings were coming undone until Kurama began unbuttoning his school jacket. Black fabric was thrust in my arms and I was spun around. I wrapped Hiei's cloak around me. I turned back around and stumbled to the guys.  
"Someone, keep me up. I can't fall asleep here."  
"Hold on, Botan is on the way." I thought I heard Yusuke.  
_"Why can't you fall asleep here?" Hiei asked._  
_"He can see me. He will know my location." I tried to explain._  
_"Who is this guy?"_  
_"I don't know him, at least, I don't think I do. My clan.."_  
_"What about your clan?"_  
_"He killed them. The entire Shattered Skull clan..."_

Little did I know, I was being transferred to Spirit World while Hiei was telepathically talking to me. Kurama was carrying me. I had snapped back to see my surroundings before slipping off.  
"My room!" I commanded. "Please" I begged. My consciousness was fading fast.  
"...is it?" I could hear Kurama.  
_"Where is the bag he gave you?"_  
_"Under..pillow"_  
I felt myself being laid on my bed. I couldn't fight it anymore. I had lost consciousness.

_I was in a den and it reminded me of home. The sound of light rain could be heard outside. I peeked out of the window and saw the beautiful blue and pink sunset. I smiled as I turned back, bumping into someone tall. I looked up and saw it was the man with the white skull. I backed away. He grabbed me and sat me down at the den table. _  
_"How did you block your location?"_  
_"I'm in a good witness protection program."_  
_"Did the younger Toguro brother hurt you?" he reached up to caress my face._  
_I scooted away so he couldn't touch me. The tendrils came up and laced themselves around me, pinning me to the chair. He scooted his chair so he was in front of me. This time he was successful in caressing the right side of my face. I tried turning my head to the left so he couldn't touch me. "I heard you were no match for him." he waited for a response. I remained silent. "If you couldn't beat him at his full power, you don't stand a chance defeating me." he laughed._  
_"I'm not too sure about that. See, Toguro physically kicked my ass. However, I know what I have to work at to beat him. The most you have done is show me my past and try to scare me. You can't touch me in the real world." I laughed._  
_"I'm not too sure about that." he said, mimicking me. With a wave of his left hand, more tendrils emerged and wrapped themselves around my right arm. "I heard Toguro broke your left arm. Allow me to do your right." he closed his fist and turned his hand to the left. The tendrils raised my arm and snapped behind me. _  
_I screamed in pain._  
_"I had always tagged you as a screamer. You could handle anything except broken bones, huh Natsumi?" he taunted. "That's why you couldn't be a warrior. You couldn't stand the fact that you had a significant chance of breaking something. That's why you chose to be a rogue, right?" He laughed as I was still trying to breathe normally from my broken arm._  
_I focused all of my energy on myself, thinking that I was a bomb and I would blow this dream up. It worked._

I woke up in immense pain. I looked down and saw I was tangled in Hiei's cloak. I clenched my teeth as I sat up in my bed. I moved the cloak over, examining my arm. My right arm was twisted, the same way my left was earlier. I stood up, and walked to my dresser to get a shirt. Kurama pushed my door open, charging in.  
"Natsumi, what's wrong?"  
"Give me a minute, please." I went to my bathroom and shut the door. I found it extremely difficult to put on a tank top with a broken arm. I tugged down on the shirt one last time before exiting.  
"I think I may have a bigger problem than what we thought." I nodded at my right arm. "I don't want to bother Hiei. I'm heading to the infirmary, they can fix it." I insisted.  
"What happened?"  
"He may be working with the Toguro brothers. He knows too much information on the fight. I mean, he went into details." I explained what had occurred while walking to the infirmary.

We stopped at the infirmary, Kurama leaving me with the staff. The red ogre on standby shook his head at me.  
"Miss Natsumi, you really ought to be more careful. Immortality does not mean invincibility."  
The ogre didn't realize how his words stung me. _It's not his fault, he doesn't know that I am being dream stalked by a psychopath._  
I smiled, "That's a great motto. I gotta work on being invincible."  
The red ogre shook his head at me while examining my right arm.  
"Do you want to be awake for this?"  
"I would prefer it, yes."  
I turned my head to the left, not wanting to observe what the red ogre was preparing. I felt pain as the ogre moved my arm. My breath quickened as I anticipated him re-breaking my arm.  
"On the count of three, okay?" One"  
I exhaled.  
"Two"  
I inhaled, preparing myself. A loud snap echoed in the room as I coughed in pain.  
"Three."  
"That was two!" I complained. I sat for a moment before testing my arm, doing range of motion exercises to show the arm was correctly in place. "Thanks again!" I called as I made my way out of the infirmary and to my room.

I entered my room and shut the door. I went to my bathroom to get Hiei's cloak and began to wash it. Taking a part of the cloak, I balled my hands and began scrubbing in a circular motion. I had felt self- conscious at that moment, wondering if I got blood on the inside or drooled on it while I was sleeping. Scrubbing harder, I didn't stop until I had felt it was clean. I hung it on a hangar to let it dry and I inspected it. It was still in really good condition. There was a slight tear on the the inside but that was it. I desired to fix the tear, but my coarse thread would be too thick. I decided to ask Henry for some fine thread. I turned, walking to my door. Henry burst through.  
"Miss Natsumi! I have news that I must report!" Henry was frantic.  
"Okay, let's breathe. What is the news?"  
"Koenma is moving your location temporarily. You will be stationed at Master Genkai's house for the next week. I am instructed to assist you pack, as you are urgently needed."  
"Okay." I took a moment to assess the situation. "Well, the good news is, all I want packed are my leather outfits and my materials to make more."  
"Are you sure, ma'am?"  
"If Koenma is stationing me a residence that has 'Master' in front of it, I'm sure they've dealt with my kind before. I shouldn't need to blend in."  
Henry handed me a bag and I began packing my leather outfits, a few sleeping clothes, and the bag under my pillow.  
"May you do me a favor, Henry?"  
"Anything, Miss Natsumi."  
"May you return the cloak to Hiei?" I used my head to point at the black cloak hanging up.  
Henry gave a quizzical look.  
"Don't look at me like that!" I laughed. "It's clean, I washed it. I don't want to take up his time, that's all." I finished.  
"Yes, of course." was all Henry said. "You will find the portal to the right as you exit your room."  
"Thank you Henry. See you next week!" I gave him a peace sign and walked out of my room with my getaway bag, taking the portal.

I arrived in front of a house in the middle of the night. I looked around trying to see if anyone were there, awaiting my arrival.  
"I am pleased to see that you can get your ass out of bed." a gruff woman's voice came from behind me.  
I turned around. "Master Genkai? I'm Natsumi. Koenma sent me here and I'm not entirely sure why."  
"Of course he did. You need to train your powers."  
I laughed. "I'm sorry, but what can a human teach me?" The laughter ended as I was backhanded and flew back a good distance.  
"Pathetic. You think because you're a demon you don't have to train as hard? You should be training even more if Toguro was able to mop the floor with you!"  
I picked myself up off of the ground. "You know about that? Did Yusuke tell you?"  
"It doesn't matter. Follow me, I'll show you to where you will stay." Genkai had a bedroom prepared for me, she advised me to get some rest before leaving.

The morning came quickly enough. I changed into my black and red leather outfit and exited my room. Genkai was up as well and was walking my way.  
"You're up. Good." she turned around and led me out to an open area in her yard. "I thought I told you to get some sleep."  
"I would have loved to, but I'm afraid I have to refuse. I'm protecting everyone by doing this."  
"Don't be self-righteous. Your nightmares can't hurt anything."  
She was pressing my buttons. "Yeah, you're right. My arm decided to break itself while I was sleeping, because there is no such thing as dream walking. It's not like I have a psychopath that is obsessed with torturing me at all. I'm just being a rebel and refusing to listen to authority." I spat.  
Without saying anything, Genkai charged at me. I was able to evade the attack and countered with a kick. My kick was parried and a punch was coming towards me. I warped out of the way and across from Genkai. I waited for her to attack me but she wasn't moving. I sighed and went into stealth, sneaking towards her. A spirit orb zoomed past, burning my face. I charged at her, breaking left at the last second to right behind her where I kicked her in the back. She got up and fired several more orbs, I dodged all but one. I flew back as pure energy hit me, sending violent shocks throughout my body.  
"Quit laying on the ground, unless you want to be beaten there!" she yelled.  
I rolled over and on my feet, preparing for an attack. I saw an opening and I took it. I warped in front of her, thinking that I executed a clean left hook in her abdomen.  
"You're fast, but not that fast." I heard her mutter behind me. I felt a sharp pain as her spirit wave coursed through my body. I blinked before getting drop kicked. I got up and tried to move away, but there she was punching me repeatedly in various places. This wasn't even a match. This was me learning my place against Master Genkai.

Genkai was pushing Yusuke through rigorous training exercises that would be too easy for me. I was sitting in this weird machine that was blowing frigid air. My task was, I had to use my energy to keep the machine at exactly 36.7 degrees Celsius while Yusuke was training. If he wasn't giving his all, I would have to push harder to make up for his slacking, as Genkai would turn a switch and the air would blow faster and colder. I had been in this machine for hours and my energy was depleting. Sweat covered my body, I shook as I remained concentrated on keeping the temperature correct. Finally, the air was turned off and the machine unlocked. I bolted out of the machine.  
"Yusuke, I should smack the crap out of you right now." I was irritable.  
"What? Why?" Yusuke was confused.  
"Your 'slacking' meant I had to pick up the work. Look, if you are going to train, do it all the way." I left him standing stupefied as I headed to Genkai's house.

I finished up with my shower and had already changed into my sleeping clothes as I entered my room. I dug out Kurama's bag he made me and put it under the pillow. I climbed into the bed and almost instantly, I fell asleep.

_I was in a desert, with bright red sand swirling in a storm. I covered my face and began searching where I might be. I had spotted a few trees to the west, so I began walking in that direction. After some time, I was looking at a white three story building. I made my way over, trying to seek shelter from the sandstorm. I pushed on one of the doors and fell inside. Void tendrils wrapped themselves around my neck and began choking me. His sinister laughter rang out._  
_"Why can't you submit to me? Is it your pride?"_  
_"I was choking, I tried lifting my hands up to take the tendrils off of me. Before anything else could happen, a stone wall was placed between the guy with the skull and me. The tendrils disappeared. I laid on my back, the darkness swallowing me._

I woke up and began changing into my battle-worn outfit. I figured it could hold up one more time before reinforcing it with more leather. I had finished making the bed as Genkai entered the room.  
"I was able to sleep." I reported.  
"Perhaps I was wrong on one count. Who is that creep?"  
"I wish I knew." I shrugged.  
Genkai didn't say anything else as she turned around and walked out of my room. I followed close behind, knowing she was leading me to the training area.

I was slightly wrong. Genkai was leading me but it wasn't where the training area was. Instead, we hiked up a steep mountain and didn't stop until we reached the top. Once there, Genkai turned to me.  
"You are the first successor of the Phoenix."  
"I am. Do you know something about the Phoenix?" I raised my eyebrow at her.  
"I've heard things. I wouldn't be surprised if more deities walked among the crowd." she paused. "Here you are, an insignificant life matter, sharing a body with a deity."  
"Well, that's kind of rude-" I began.  
"You want to know why I had you working harder when Yusuke was slacking? It's because it's about teamwork!" Genkai interrupted me. "You are so self-absorbed that you don't recognize your partner's power. Have you even talked with her?"  
I stopped and thought about it. The last time we "talked" was a few days ago.  
"I don't know much about the Phoenix and what you will be capable of." Genkai admitted. "You may have survived the Phoenix, but you will never amount to anything if you don't train properly."  
"So how do I-"  
"For once, shut up and listen. You can return to the house once you have learned how to do that." Genkai left me with those words.

I paced on top of the mountain, playing the conversation out.  
"_...Just shut up and listen._" Genkai's voice echoed in my head.  
I stopped. Of course. I looked for a comfortable spot to sit down on, finding a rock that overlooked a wooded area. I sat down, crossing my legs, closing my eyes and inhaling a fresh breath.  
_"Phoenix? Can you hear me?"_  
_"Yes, my child?"_  
"_Phoenix, I- I don't know where to begin. I feel like we just defeated Tarukane and freed Yukina. I feel that the whole fight I had with Toguro existed only in my imagination_." I admitted.  
_"Much has happened in a small amount of time."_ she agreed.  
_"I'm sorry I called on your power and I didn't know what to do with it."_  
The singsong bell laughter rang in my head. _"I told you, all you had to do was call and I would come. I didn't expect you to use my power right away, since I had yet to recover from being transferred into you."_  
_"Genkai is right. I am self-absorbed. I didn't even think to ask how you were holding up."_  
_"Let's learn from this and move forward. What has happened cannot be changed. I don't hold you in contempt for being self-absorbed."_  
_"Thank you. I will do better, I swear it!"_  
Phoenix had ended her conversation with me, allowing my body to radiate energy in her approval. I focused keeping her in the front of my mind, allowing her access to see through my eyes. I scaled down the mountain and to Genkai's house.

Yusuke and Genkai looked up as I was approaching them.  
"It looks like you finally shut up and listened." Genkai greeted.  
I nodded. "You can continue to work with Yusuke, I'll be training with the Phoenix." I gave a smile and a wave before using my speed to warp into the wooded area that I previously overlooked on the mountain.

I was sweating profusely as I shot off another fireball. It was a laborious undertaking training with the Phoenix. I was required to constantly keep my energy up to let the Phoenix see through my eyes and move with me. We moved awkwardly, as we both were trying to get in sync with one another. I continued to push myself but Phoenix was holding back. We decided to take a break and regroup.  
_"You have to take it easy, Natsumi. This is going to take some time for us to get used to each others fighting styles."_  
_"I feel like I'm learning a lot by trial and error but I agree we both don't have energy to last much longer."_  
_"I will take my leave and rest for tomorrow. You should do the same."_  
I could feel the Phoenix receding from my vision and mind. I fell to my knees, completely exhausted and out of energy.

For the remainder of the week it remained routine, I would get up early and train until late in the evening with Phoenix. The Phoenix and me were more in sync with each other, successfully able to spar with Yusuke as a whole unit. My speed had improved as well, I was able to cover larger amounts of distance with ease. Overall, the week spent with Master Genkai and Yusuke would prove to be a valuable experience as I continued to push myself to be the best. Genkai told me that as long as I am in her house, the man with skull cannot contact me through my dreams, however, the mental block would disappear once I go back to Spirit World. I thanked her, for not only helping me understand what I had to do to become a better fighter, but also because I had gotten the best sleep I felt I ever had. I bid farewell to Yusuke and wished him luck, leaving him to train with Master Genkai. I headed to the portal and waved, before going through it to train with Hiei, Kurama and Kuwabara.


	8. Chapter 8

It was nice to arrive back in Spirit World. I made my way to the complex where my room was, and set down all my belongings. I began sorting through my stuff, taking out my battle worn outfit, leather hides and coarse thread. I worked on reinforcing my outfit, enjoying the solitude. It wasn't long before I heard voices coming from the kitchen area.

"Just get me an ice pack and I'll be fine!" Kuwabara insisted.

"I'm not sure if we even have that here." Kurama's voice could be heard before shuffling noises ensued.

I walked to the kitchen and observed Kurama looking in the freezer for an ice pack, a badly beaten up Kuwabara and Hiei sitting on the bay window bench.

"I don't see any, just go to the infirmary." Kurama instructed.

"No! I don't want to go there!" Kuwabara was adamant about it.

"What's wrong with the infirmary?" I asked, making my presence known.

"Natsumi! Where have you been? I thought you left us and we'd need another fighter for the Dark Tournament!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"I was sent on a brief mission." I smiled and shrugged. "I would've hoped you had a little more trust in me, seeing as I have been with you guys for at least seven months."

"Well I didn't know! We were all waiting for you, well, Kurama and I were anyway, for you to train with us but you never came."

"Koenma didn't say anything?" I was puzzled.

"No, neither did shorty. Remember what we were talking about in the forest on our way to rescue my love Yukina? I think you should totally go with Kura-"

"And you're going to the infirmary!" I said in a loud voice, cutting Kuwabara off. I warped to Kuwabara, grabbed the front of his shirt before dashing off with him to the infirmary.

I dropped Kuwabara in front of the red ogre that was on duty.

"He's refusing to seek treatment, but I think we can bend the rules because he's human?" I asked the red ogre.

The red ogre nodded. "Yes, we have to take precautions, humans are fragile compared to demons."

I grinned. "He's all yours. Can you make sure he's healed up for tomorrow? He's going to need it."

The red ogre leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "I'll do my best."

"We appreciate it." I turned and dashed to the kitchen area.

I was somewhat relieved to find that Kurama and Hiei were still in the general area when I returned.

"Sorry about that," I sighed. "So you guys have been training for the past week? Nothing exciting happened?"

"Unfortunately not. Kuwabara is far too weak to hold up against any real training right now." Kurama reported.

I sat down on the couch and put my head in my hands. "Yusuke wasn't faring any better when I was at Master Genkai's house. Although Yusuke's problem is, he will give up before his body does. We're going to be screwed if we can't get these guys stronger."

"That's big talk, coming from someone that was at the mercy of ONE of the Toguro brothers. I sense nothing different in you." Hiei stated.

I picked my head up and turned it around. "Words mean little to me, if you want I can show you my improvement!" I challenged.

"Is it a wise choice for you both to spar right now? We just finished our training for today." Kurama asked, trying to ease the tension.

"I'm fine." Hiei and I both said at the same time.

I stood up and walked to the door that led to the training grounds.

Outside in the training grounds, I closed my eyes to speak briefly with Phoenix.

"_Phoenix, I am going to need you again. I have to prove that we are better than a week ago."_ Her response to my request was appearing in my conscious mind. I open my eyes and she and I could see Hiei across from us.

"Go!" I yelled, preparing to evade Hiei's offensive move. Hiei appeared in front of me, with his right fist coming to me. I sidestepped and waited for him to attack again. Phoenix prefers to gauge the style of fighting before deciding which style would be to her advantage. Hiei charged again, this time his blade was drawn. I smiled as I drew my daggers out and parried, Hiei riposted, I counter-riposted. I couldn't help but feel happy in this moment, Hiei and I doing a dangerous but beautiful dance with our respective blades. It was my turn to lead. I sent a kick to his right hand, almost knocking the sword out of his grip. I quickened the tempo, appearing and disappearing to his sides.

"I could have stabbed you here, here and here." I said as I poked Hiei with the butt of my right dagger.

Hiei's response was to swing his sword at me, and I was finally able to disarm him. I didn't stop this time, as I threw punches in various places like Genkai had done to me. One particular punch, I miscalculated and Hiei grabbed my right wrist, appearing behind me and twisting it backwards. I used my energy to take a step forward and roll Hiei over my back and onto his. I climbed on top of him, panting and holding my dagger to his throat.

"Say it" I grinned down at him.

"_Natsumi, I can't go on anymore. I have to rest." _Phoenix said before retreating from my consciousness.

I blinked, feeling completely drained of energy. I rolled off of Hiei's left side and laid on my back, closing my eyes. I could hear him get up and walk away. Moments later, I heard him return, and felt something heavy drop on my stomach. I opened my eyes and did a little crunch to see what he had dropped on me.

"_My other dagger. Thanks." _I smiled as I took it off of me and sheathed it. I rolled on my stomach and began to pick myself up.

"_What did I hear about that idiot calling my sister his love?"_

"_Oh, yeah. We were watching the tape you delivered and Kuwabara said his love stretched out and tied them together. He can see his red string of Fate, it seems." _I stood up and walked to the nearest tree, holding it for support.

"_You didn't think that was something I should know about?"_

"_Am I supposed to report to you as well as Koenma?"_

Hiei was right in front of me. His stare felt like it was penetrating all my barriers, into my very soul. It was the kind of feeling that I experienced, being naked in a room, displayed for lascivious men with great wealth. It was uncomfortable, I began to tremble and I looked to the right, trying to find something interesting about the tree that was supporting me. I felt him step closer.

_I don't care what he does. I'm used to torture. _I reminded myself. I couldn't convince myself that I wasn't terrified of what he was capable of doing, my breath becoming shallow and my heart racing. I didn't have the energy to fight or flee. I gripped the tree tightly, my knuckles turning white, my heartbeats increased, and I squeezed my eyes shut. I was expecting a physical retort, but it never came. I opened my eyes, surprised that he was still there.

"I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." I stammered before clumsily running off towards the complex.

Hiei's POV

It was a good match, she definitely improved her fighting style. I was somewhat disappointed that she was able to best me in our sparring session. _It did have one perk though, she did find a way that I couldn't escape from her._ What am I thinking? I lost the match to her. Granted, we weren't at our best, but if I was at full energy, I would've beaten her. Easily. _I should use her to get information on the rest of this 'team'. It could prove useful if I ever need some sort of leverage. _It was worth a shot.

"_What did I hear about that idiot calling my sister his love?"_ I asked.

"_Oh, yeah. We were watching the tape you delivered and Kuwabara said his love stretched out and tied them together. He can see his red string of Fate, it seems." _Natsumi stood up and walked over to the growing peach tree, using it to support herself.

"_You didn't think that was something I should know about?"_

"_Am I supposed to report to you as well as Koenma?"_

I wasn't going to take this sass from her. I was in front of her almost instantly, staring into the abysmal sea of her eyes. Natsumi's eyes widened again, this time an image came to me without any contact.

_A room that looked like it was made of glass._ _Natsumi, forced to stand in the middle by electrical prods. Naked, terrified and yet shaking with anger. Crowds of men gathered around the room holding wads of money bigger than their fat fists. A zap of electricity coursed through her body as her scream was raw as her rage. _

I was taken aback. Natsumi, the one who always had a smile on her face, had experienced _this_? It was almost incomprehensible. It all made sense now, why her eyes widened when I had gone through her memories, why she kept people at a distance. Even with the reaper, Natsumi didn't seem truly comfortable. Right now, she was thinking that I was going to strike her for speaking out of place. I hadn't realized that I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. Natsumi opened her eyes, a look of surprise on her face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." she said, running toward the complex, tripping over her herself about halfway there.

I sighed, exasperated. I figured I would wait a few minutes before going inside. I climbed on a mature tree that wasn't too far from the growing peach tree. Sitting on a branch, with my back against the trunk, I began to sort through everything that happened from when Natsumi came in the kitchen to just a few moments ago. There were many feelings that swarmed around me, but the most apparent was a gnawing feeling to protect her. _Ridiculous. She is more than capable of protecting herself. If she is foolish enough to commence a battle that she cannot handle, she deserves to understand there will be consequences. _The memory of me watching her fight with the younger Toguro played in my head, me finding evidence to support my thought. I ignored the reflex of my hand balling into a fist when I saw the younger Toguro holding Natsumi up by her hair, her face bloodied, eyes half closed as she struggled to stay conscious from her defeat.

Natsumi's POV

I didn't know what had come over me in the training grounds. I vigorously scrubbed my body in the shower. _I didn't mean to sound like an ass. _Well, I kinda did, but in the playful kind. Hiei isn't really the type to play around with, and I should have thought my words over before letting them out. _What's happened is done._ I rinsed myself, shutting the water off. I was trying to come up with an apology but everything that I came up with sounded stupid and like a waste of time. Drying myself off, I slipped into some pajamas. _Maybe I could tell him the truth._ I threw that idea out. Hiei won't want an apology, but he will hold it against me if I don't try to reconcile this situation. I sat on my bed, pondering what could be used as an acceptable apology that wouldn't be a waste of time, and that doesn't make me grovel. _He's great, I respect him but there is no way that I will throw myself at his feet. Not for an apology. _The only ideas I could think of were; make some food for him, get him ice cream in the human world, or find a way to force an apology on him. Perhaps sleep would help me, but then again, if the man with the skull is waiting for me to fall asleep, I would be at his mercy. I felt my stomach drop as my two choices were suffering by staying awake or suffering by this nameless dream walker. Feeling dejected, I got up from my bed and got my supplies to make more leather outfits. I attentively sewed my pieces together, ensuring I got my stitches correct. I was able to make one whole outfit, complete with the black and silver dye job when morning came. I sighed, knowing that I would have to get ready for the day to train for the Dark Tournament. I had changed in my black and blue outfit and hung up my black and silver outfit to dry. There was a sharp rap at my door before George entered my room.

"Miss Natsumi? Koenma requests your presence."

"Huh. Okay." I shrugged, motioning for him to lead the way.

"...safely back to Spirit World. Is that clear?" Koenma concluded the briefing.

"Uhh yeah, sure. We have to bring something back to Spirit World safely." I repeated what I remembered.

"That _something_ is a highly valuable crate that belongs to Spirit World." Koenma corrected.

I glanced at Hiei. "So why us again?" I suppressed a yawn.

"Kuwabara needs to improve, and has requested Kurama to train him. I have Yusuke training with Master Genkai, so you and Hiei are the only capable ones this mission falls on."

"I'm not sure if I am supposed to be ecstatic or insulted." I grumbled.

"Anyways, you two had best get going! Natsumi, I would highly recommend bringing your dream bag. This mission will not be completed in a day." Koenma gave us a wave. George entered the room, giving me my little bag as well as a getaway bag with my other leather outfits.

"Thanks George." I gave a smile, tying my dream bag to my belt and shrugging the bag on my shoulder.

Giving a final wave, I hopped in the portal after Hiei.

Hiei and I arrived near a city I was familiar with. Darkford was one of the few trading towns the Shattered Skull did business with.

"I haven't been here in ages!" I smiled, getting a second wind of energy. I began walking to gates, eager to see the shops that I knew growing up. I wandered through the town, perusing the various goods, Hiei following behind. There were some old shops, but much newer vendors were settled in this town. I came across a stall that had scarves, shawls and bandages with foreign symbols on it.

"_I feel something familiar-" _was all Phoenix was able to tell me.

"You!" the vendor gasped, grabbing my arm.

I bristled and began to pull back, not knowing what's going on. "Get off of me!"

"Sshhh! You can't be loud here."

"Like hell I can't!"

"I can feel your ward. Please be still."

I stopped, looking at Hiei who had his arms crossed, not bothering to help me. I took a good look at this vendor. He was a grizzly demon, with wrinkles outlining his weathered face. His eyes were unmoving- he was blind.

"What do you know about this ward?" I composed myself.

"It's not complete. He can still hurt you, can't he, Phoenix?"

"Who is he? Do you know what he wants? How do you know who I am?"

"He is the betrayer. The one known as Keisuke. He wants you and your power." he spoke in a hushed voice. "He has watchers all around, searching for you. I foresaw that you would be arriving today, so I made my way here."

"Keisuke? He's alive? Wait, you foresaw this? I'm not understanding right now."

"Phoenix, surely you recall your old friend up North?"

I summoned my energy to let Phoenix see through my eyes. "Tortoise, my good friend." my voice had changed as Phoenix took control.

"Hisato, please." the man smiled. "It pleases me to see you have a host for eternity. It seems another one of us will be having a host soon." he turned to face Hiei. "Tell me, you have seen the darkness flame in your jagan eye, yes?"

"What's it to you?" Hiei snapped.

"This is a coincidence." Phoenix turned, tilting her head to the left and glancing at Hiei with a knowing smile.

"This isn't a coincidence, my friend. This is fate." Hisato replied.

"My hostess is very fond of this one. It brings me great joy that we both can have our mates."

"I have no mate. You can tell Natsumi I'm going ahead since you are wasting time." Hiei responded before warping off in the distance.

"I have a couple gifts, my Queen," Hisato started. "The first one is for you. Keisuke has mastered the art of shadow-manipulated dream walking. This is how he has been able to harm you. This shawl will protect you from whatever he attempts to do, just wrap it around your dream bag. The second one is for Natsumi's mate. The dragon never wished to have a host and he will do great damage to this male demon." Hisato paused, turning to the Phoenix.

"I know." Phoenix's expression and voice were pained. "It's been a long time since I've seen him."

"Have Natsumi convince her mate that he needs to wrap these bandages around his right arm." Hisato grabbed a black shawl and some bandages that had intricate writing inscribed on them, thrusting them to Phoenix. "This will be the male demon's saving grace. Essentially, what will happen is when he uses the darkness flame for the first time, the dragon's energy will severely scald his forearm. Knowing the dragon, he will annihilate anything in his way before trying to turn on his host." Hisato explained, pausing to catch his breath. "Swaddle the male demon's arm. These bandages will help make the process 'easier' for the dragon to use his energy to tattoo his mark."

"I appreciate the help, Hisato. Thank you for the information and the gifts." Phoenix smiled, putting her right hand on Hisato's left shoulder. A faint glow of energy passed from her hand into his shoulder and Hisato gasped. His left eye blinked a few times, moving around. "It's the least I could do for everything you have done. I didn't want to take away your abilities so I just did one." Phoenix grinned.

"It is I who thank you, my Queen. As always, you are gracious."

"We will have to catch up again sometime. I have to catch up to Natsumi's mate soon, else I can't sense him." With a wave, Phoenix departed from the little town of Darkford, clutching the shawl and bandages, following a faint trail of Hiei's energy. The entire trip she informed Natsumi of what had occurred and answered any questions that Natsumi had.

I was preoccupied with my thoughts, oblivious that I caught up to Hiei and was passing him. My mind was still trying to wrap around everything that Phoenix told me. Keisuke, alive? I guess it could be plausible. _Come to think of it, I don't remember making a grave for him._ I halted, landing safely on a tree branch as a flashback came to me.

_Keisuke had arrived early in the morning, successful in his hunt with the warriors. He proudly carried the carcass of the lion known as 'Lagrn-dof' and made it known that his prowess as a warrior was unmatched. I stood outside of my hut with my arms crossed, observing the other girls my age fuss over him. I personally wasn't interested, Keisuke always aggravated me. He looked up from the throng of girls, his eyes meeting mine. _

"_Natsumi! Gaze upon the fallen Lagrn-dof and know that I am indeed worthy to be your mate!" _

I blinked a few times, my surroundings coming into focus. I looked to my left and to my right, trying to figure out where I was.

"Is this going to be a regular occurrence, you stopping to daydream?"

I jumped off of the tree branch and to the ground to confront Hiei.

"It very well may. There's no need to get jealous though, I always thought Keisuke to be a bother." I smirked, winking at him.

Hiei narrowed his eyes before looking off to the right. "The crate we are supposed to receive is located in Haito."

"Huh." I made a face as I was thinking where the location was. "Is that by the Fade forest?" Hiei nodded. "Figures." I sighed, closing my eyes and turning my back to Hiei. I began walking forward, leading the way.

The sun was beginning to set, a vibrant orange and purple combination filled the sky, not a cloud to be seen. We made a little camp not too far from a river, me winning a debate on being able to camp or press forward. I was busy in the water, catching small fishes and throwing them back, hoping to catch bigger fish. Hiei was, well, I don't know what Hiei was doing, but it didn't matter since I was getting dinner. Eventually, I was able to catch three medium sized fish and I triumphantly strode to the camp where I found Hiei sitting on a tree branch.

"Hn. _That's_ what took you so long? Three fish?"

"It was getting dark." I lied. To be perfectly honest, I had never mastered the art of catching fish. Hiei didn't need to know this, of course. I looked down and bit my lower lip to keep from laughing as I took one of my daggers and began preparing the fish.

"You are a horrible liar."

I chuckled, "I know." I continued my work with the other two fish, preparing them the same as the first.

I carefully piled the edible and clean fish piece in a pile, before leaping into a tree and cutting some sticks to use. Landing on the ground, I plopped down and began to use my dagger to whittle away the exterior of the sticks, making them skewers. I felt Hiei's watchful eyes on me as I began to pile the fish on the skewers. Holding the stick with the fish in my left hand, I made a fireball in my right hand and began cooking the fish, turning the stick, rolling it with my fingers. I did this for the remaining three skewers.

"I'm sorry I don't have any spices to make this tasty," I laughed, holding the now-done fish skewer out to Hiei and holding a skewer for myself.

Hiei came down from his branch, grabbed the skewer from me and sat down near my left side. He studied the food intently. "I hope you've mastered the 'art' of cooking more than your fishing."

I opened my mouth and closed it, my eyebrows furrowed and I frowned "That makes two of us." I couldn't shake this feeling that I had deep down. I was at a loss for words, the only thing I know; I felt like I was on top of a mountain before Hiei's words pushed me off, sending me tumbling down. Internally, my eyes stung with tears that threatened to fall, I felt the blood rush to my face and my heart began to beat erratically. Externally, I closed my eyes and let out a hollow laugh, its pitch mocking how I was feeling. "Perhaps then, you can bring dinner. After all, it's what men are expected to do in my clan."

"I'm not affiliated with your clan. Those expectations don't apply to me." Hiei shot back before taking a bite of the fish.

"You're affiliated with me on this mission, so therefore you are with my clan. Unless, you don't know how to hunt." I baited him, taking a bite of my own fish. The fish was tasty, although it lacked the spices I was fond of.

"Are there any other stupid rules your clan has?"

I choked on a piece of fish, caught completely off guard by the question. I inhaled air in mid-cough before being able to get myself back under control. "I don't think that particular rule was stupid. Everything has a balance- one must give and one must take. I think one of the rules I always thought to be outdated was ostracizing the mutations that we have no control over." Hiei said nothing, but gave an inquisitive look. "For example, me. Blue eyes are not common in demon world, right? So, that means somewhere within my lineage, a mutation occurred, and instead of having normal black or brown eyes, I have blue. Now, did I ever have control of choosing my eyes? Of course not! My clan didn't see it that way. They believed that anyone with blue eyes were to be feared, for they thought we were hellspawns."

That produced a chuckle out of Hiei. "Hellspawns?"

"Yeah, you know, the forbidden children between a great being of darkness and a demon."

"Isn't it easier to just say you were a forbidden child?"

"No, because I don't believe in that. If the clan had ventured outside and see how science is able to explain some things, they wouldn't have needed to fear me." I cocked my head to the right, listening in on noises I thought I heard. _There it is again._ I dropped my skewer, warping behind some trees. A **THWACK** echoed in the cool night.

I returned, dragging a female cat-like demon to the camp. I began to tie her up so when she woke she couldn't run. A few moments later, she stirred, opening her large honey-colored eyes. She wildly looked around and began to struggle against the rope, her eyes landing on Hiei first.

"It _is_ you." she breathed, sweetly smiling and batting her eyelashes at Hiei.

Anger rose in my chest, and I stomped over to Hiei's side so this feline could see who knocked her out. "Do you know her?" my voice was louder than I meant it to be.

"He and I go a long way back, sweetie. He's taken very valuable things from me," the female started. I breathed a small breath, _relieved_ it wasn't something more. "I would say the most valuable thing he stole was my heart." the feline demon finished. In an instant, I was in front of her and delivered a swift backhand slap with my right hand.

"Don't soil his reputation with your weakness."

The feline narrowed her eyes at me and smirked, "Did I strike a nerve? I decided that he would be mine long ago."

I tightened my jaw, doing my best not to throttle the girl for even speaking that way about Hiei. "Why are you here?"

"To get rid of you so I can have Hiei all to myself." the demon slyly smiled.

I drew out my left dagger and stabbed her in the arm. "First, you do NOT speak to or about Hiei in the manner you did. Second," I paused, thrusting the dagger deeper into her flesh, "Hiei is not some prize to be won. Lastly," I sharply turned my dagger left and right, feeling my dagger tear and rip into her muscles, "I'm not someone that will be easily discarded. You have a shred of hope to defeat me; bring an army. You've angered me and that wasn't the wisest thing to do. I will become your nightmare. You will wish that I had given you a clean death when I'm done with you." I growled, shoving my face up against hers. I noticed at the last second, there was something coming at me.

"Who said I didn't bring an army?" she laughed maniacally. I warped off to the side and assessed the situation. Hundreds upon hundreds of demons began making their way towards the camp, Hiei slightly participating in the fight.

"You are seriously not going to fight right now?!" I called across the camp.

"These demons aren't worth my time to kill." was his reply.

I was soaring through the air, doing flips and somersaults as I continued to fight my way through the hordes of demons. It wasn't hard, they were slow and weak. The only thing was, it took awhile because Hiei had refused to fight. It felt like the demons kept coming, wave after wave. I think somewhere in my fight I had an idea to use my spirit energy to make spirit daggers and hurl them in a fiery circle against my opponents. I felt myself nearing the end of my energy, the lack of sleep threatening to make me pass out at any given notice. The female cat wasn't lying about bringing an army. I had made a significant dent in the numbers, but more demons were coming. An arrow flew by, grazing my right arm. I winced, warping off to my left. The area where the arrow had struck me began to tingle, the feeling of a thousand needles stabbing repeatedly followed after. I blinked, everything had slowed down considerably. _Poisoned. _I became lethargic, my reactions had slowed and I could feel the hits coming in contact with me. Maces, clubs, fists met my body, the frenzy for blood increased. Amid the battleground, I heard a ferocious call to the Dragon of the Darkness Flame. For a brief moment, all blows ceased as the attention was now on the Dragon, that loomed ominously in the night sky. The Dragon dove down and began eradicating anything in its path, hungry to unleash his power. I was thrown back by the sheer force the dragon was exuding, as he silently charred the army of demons. Within a minute, the army ceased to exist, no remains left behind. The Dragon roared and turned, heading straight for Hiei. Panic took over me, tears stinging my eyes as I recalled Phoenix telling me the Dragon would most likely turn on Hiei. I wasn't ready to witness the Dragon take him from me. A war howl exited my throat and I pushed myself to run to Hiei, to protect him. _Slow. I'm too slow. He's going to die! Phoenix! We have to save him!_ Phoenix quickly took control over my body, and felt the poison slowing her movements. We stopped, the poison affected her more than it did me. My eyes grew wide as the dragon was a few feet from Hiei. I felt my body heat rising, burning and before I knew what was happening, I flew past Hiei, charging directly into the Dragon.

There was only one demon that was able to witness the collision of deities facing off in an air battle. Hiei was knocked on his back as Natsumi- No, the Phoenix revealed her form, flying past him at an immeasurable speed with a burning bright white light engulfing her body. The fire bird head-bashed the Dragon, and began flying in circles around him. The Dragon roared, keeping pace with the Phoenix, as the Phoenix called back what sounded like a warning or a threat. The Dragon refused to listen, charging at the Phoenix. She dodged and breathed fire on the left side of the Dragon. _Anger._ Hiei could feel the Dragon's anger that the Phoenix- more likely Natsumi in this case, was refusing to back down from the fight. Hiei's right arm was burning immensely, he had to hold his right arm with his left, trying to ease the pain. Hiei didn't want to admit that he too- was running low on energy, but more important that he was in pain. Finally, the pain stopped in his arm. Hiei looked up to see the Dragon began retreating, the Phoenix/Natsumi following close behind. In a last-ditch effort, the dragon hurled a ball of flame, incinerating the Phoenix's left wing. Phoenix shrieked in pain, the dragon roared in his small victory before disappearing. The Phoenix was failing to slow her fall, hitting the ground with such force, the ground rumbled beneath. A blinding bright wisp hastily approached Hiei, before diving itself into his right arm. Hiei grunted in pain, releasing his grip on his right arm, tossing his left arm off to the side before passing out.

I awoke shortly on my belly after Phoenix used the last of her energy of shield my body from the fall. My left arm felt like it was on fire, and this fire was hotter than any I had experienced with Phoenix. I used my right arm to push myself up and see where Hiei was. _Not too far, that's good. _I used my right arm and legs to army-crawl over to Hiei's left side. His right arm was severely burned and I felt my stomach do a flip. I looked up at his face to see his eyes were closed, I perked my ears up to hear his breathing. _Okay, he's breathing. Or is that me?_ I scooted down a little bit, putting my right ear to his chest. A faint heartbeat was heard and I breathed a sigh of relief. My left arm felt how Hiei's right arm had looked. My head still on Hiei's chest, I raised my left arm and forced myself to grab his right hand. My hand shook as a faint bright light began to emit from my hand to Hiei's, I closed my eyes to concentrate but wound up passing out, fatigued from sleep deprivation and the battle.

"_I see you." _

_I looked up, knowing the person's voice that belonged to. "Keisuke." I spat out his name._

"_Hm. That's not right, you weren't supposed to know who I am yet." Keisuke appeared beside me, disappointment was in his voice. "Who told you? Was it the Younger Toguro? Or someone else, perhaps?" A wicked grin spread across a shadow that molded itself to be how I remembered Keisuke._

"_Why do you cower behind a mask, Keisuke? Why are you doing any of this?" I got up, distancing myself from the shadow Keisuke and the masked one._

"_Why, indeed." the masked Keisuke mused. "Say, this demon that you're sleeping on right now, does he know that you and I used to have a thing?"_

"_What?! We NEVER had a thing Keisuke." I snapped at him, narrowing my eyes._

"_That's a no. Maybe I should pay him a visit, since he's a telepath. I'll let him know all the things we've ever done."_

"_There's no need to bore him with stories of you getting hurt and always wanting to visit my tent." I scowled at him._

"_I'm sorry, I meant to say, all the things I've wanted to do to you. Do you think he would enjoy a vision of me ravishing you?" his laughter echoed all around._

_I was appalled. "You're such a pig! How dare you!?" I stepped forward, and stepped back immediately not wanting to get tortured._

_Keisuke, in his mask, stepped closer towards me. "Do you think he will believe you? I can be a convincing story teller."_

"_Do not tempt my wrath, Keisuke."_

_The shadows swirled about, the masked Keisuke in front of me, the shadow one behind me. The shadow Keisuke held me so I couldn't run, using the void tendrils to immobilize me. The real Keisuke grabbed my left wrist and began squeezing, his shadows amassing around my wrist that was being squeezed._

"_I'll mark you as mine before he has a chance," Keisuke chuckled before erupting into laughter. "The fastest demon in our world is sleeping, and I have the chance to mark you before you become his girl."_

"_No!" I tried pulling my wrist out of Keisuke's grasp. The shadows dove into my flesh, I cried out in anger and pain, not wanting to be marked as Keisuke's mate. The dream began to shake violently, thunderous claps could be heard. Keisuke gasped as his shadows were being pushed out of my skin. A miniature dark dragon emerged from my wrist, heading straight for Keisuke._

"_This will not be the last of me!" he bellowed, before seeking refuge in his shadows and disappearing._

I woke up, opening my eyes to the sunrise that was making its way up in the sky. I nuzzled my head against whatever I was laying on. _A heartbeat._ The rise and fall of something breathing. The recollection of the events bombarded me. _Hiei._ I smiled, relieved to know that he made a recovery after using the Dragon of the Darkness Flame. I willed myself to get up, fighting the urge to stay comfortable. I moved my left arm and winced. It was still very tender from..._A pocket-sized Dragon inside of me?_ I stood up, looking down at Hiei's sleeping form. His right arm looked much better than it did when I last saw it. Doing a perimeter check to make sure it was safe to leave Hiei for a bit, I made my way back to the abandoned camp.

Arriving to the camp, I noticed my getaway bag was rummaged through. My outfits were still there, but my dream bag as well as the shawl I was given was missing. I unfolded my battle outfit and the special wraps for Hiei tumbled out. Mentally thanking whatever goodness it was that allowed me to posses the bandages, I picked up my bag, the bandages and sprinted back to where Hiei was sleeping.

I returned to Hiei, observing he was still fast asleep. _It must have taken up all of his energy. _I sat beside him, taking the bandages in my hands and began to wrap his arm, starting at his hand. Hiei's hand twitched and relaxed as I wrapped the special bandage.

Hiei's POV

_I felt my energy returning early in the morning. My right hand throbbed and I tried to move my fingers, but to no avail. A weight was on my left side, the sound of steady breathing filled my ears and the faint scent of peaches reached my nostrils. Natsumi._ I didn't need to exert the effort to open my eyes and check if I was correct. I felt Natsumi nuzzle deeper in my chest, and I was overcome by a strong, strange feeling. I laid still as I felt her get up and do a perimeter check. I made sure it was clear for me to open my eyes and assess the damage done to my right arm. It hurt like hell to even move it, yet there was a gentle pulsing that quelled the violent throbs. My arm felt completely worthless to me in this state. Sensing that Natsumi was close by, I closed my eyes and returned to my "sleep".

A few minutes later, Natsumi's soft landing could be heard nearby. I felt her energy right next to me and her eyes searching for any other injuries. _Icy. _For a fire demon, one would think that those who can wield fire would have warmer than average body temperatures. My hand twitched at the sudden frigid sensation before relaxing into the somewhat therapeutic hands of ice. _She's going to know I'm awake soon. _I opened my eyes, staring at Natsumi, noticing she had a small scar under her right eye. If she did know I was awake, she didn't make any effort to acknowledge it, but my feeling had me thinking otherwise. Natsumi was fully concentrated on the task of wrapping my arm and applying bursts of healing energy to help expedite my healing time. The feeling attacked me again, I glanced at a nearby tree. W_hat IS this I'm feeling!? _I racked my brain, trying to find the word that was appropriate to what I was feeling. _A strong fondness...affection? That didn't sound right, yet that was the definition of what it meant. Definitions are always easier to deal with since it is a clean cut statement. Feeling something such as affection, is well, complicated and I don't like complications. Feelings cloud judgment, force people to make irrational decisions and overall are a nuisance to deal with. _My thoughts were interrupted as Natsumi began to chuckle. I raised an eyebrow, not bothering to ask what was so funny to her.

"If you glare any more at that tree, it might catch fire." Natsumi smiled, her vibrant blue eyes shining with amusement.

"Hn." _Was it the look in her eyes? The way her mouth curved in that charming smile? How about the way her hair flew in all directions, even after she styled it? _I was thinking too much at this point and needed to get back on track. _She's powerful. I can respect someone that continues to train and improve within a small time frame. Her skills are what defines her, not her physical appearance. _"Is it necessary to bandage my arm?"

"Well, these aren't normal bandages," Natsumi started, "They're supposed to help you heal from the Dragon. He hurts, doesn't he?" her voice wavered at the end, she instinctively held her left wrist .

"I don't know what you're talking about." _It feels like I don't have an arm anymore but you'll never know it._

"Oh." Natsumi averted her eyes, slumping her shoulders.

I was compelled to read her mind. I couldn't make sense of it right away, she had way too many things going on. _Natsumi and the Phoenix getting hit with a darkness bolt. A miniature Phoenix in my right arm. The scene changed to a man wearing a skull manipulating shadows around Natsumi's wrist. A wisp of energy. The words, "I'll mark you" ringing over and over, maniacal laughter in the background. A small Dragon emerging from Natsumi's wrist. _I discontinued reading Natsumi's mind, feeling drained yet determined to punch whomever was hiding beneath that skull mask. I would need time to sort out this information and make something out of it at a later time. "We need to get going." I stood up, and checked out my arm. Natsumi had done well, wrapping my arm the correct way with these weird bandages. I gave a nod to her before turning to lead the way to retrieve Koenma's belongings.

Natsumi's POV

Hiei acted strange all morning. _I wonder if it's a side effect from the Darkness Flame technique?_ I had plenty of time to wonder all sorts of things, with Hiei leading the way and rarely stopping to take a break. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I had felt like he tried to read my mind sometime in the morning after I commented about him glaring at a tree. I had no proof, but it just _felt_ like he was there for a second or two. _I don't have anything interesting on my mind anyways._ I laughed to myself, picturing the disappointment on Hiei's face if he were to ever read my mind. I turned my attention back to looking around as I followed Hiei and realized we were almost to our destination.

Haito was an up-and-coming place in the business world for demons. Many of the young demons that wanted to pursue careers in bounty hunting, healing and business resided in this area. I smiled as I passed the locals, searching for the office Koenma instructed us to go to.

"Closed?! Seriously?!" I pouted at the sign inside the door. "We barely missed it!" I frowned, crossed my arms and sighed, thinking about what to do. "There should be a tavern here, we can spend the night and get it first thing in the morning." I turned and began to walk off, not wanting to hear any refusals or the stupid idea of breaking in the shop. _Even though breaking in DID cross my mind, it's better to play it safe._

The tavern was medium sized, the smell of herbal tea lingered in the air. I walked up the cashier and grinned.

"Hello! May I have one room please?" I asked, not breaking my grin.

"Huh, are ye ol' enough ta venture out here, little lass?" the cashier asked, with a heavy accent I didn't recognize.

"I was told it didn't matter how old one is, money will always give you the age you want." My grin turned into a smirk.

The cashier let out a hearty laugh. "O-ho! I like ye. It's 200 a night."

"I'll take it." I reached down in my boot to get the money.

"Oy! All th' rooms are taken. This little lass scooped the last of 'em." The cashier had his attention to someone behind me.

I put the money on the counter and cocked my head to see the cashier was talking to Hiei. "He's with me." I whispered to the cashier.

"This ain't th' kind o' place ta be doin that kind o' stuff now, ye see." a disapproving tone came from the cashier.

I stopped and looked at the cashier before widening my eyes. "Not like that!" I waved my arms in front of me.

The cashier laughed another hearty laugh. "Just pullin ye legs. Here's th' room key, number 13 ye be."

I thanked the cashier and made my way to room 13.

Room 13 had one bed, a bistro table for two and a window seat that you could look out from. The decoration was plain but that's how demons live. Taverns are known as the places you put your head down for a night before continuing your journey, not a relaxing place like in the human world. I put down the getaway bag and began taking off my arm bands, then sitting down to take off my boots.

"I'm going to hop in the shower, okay?"

"I don't need an itinerary of what you plan to do."

"Someone's not going to get any hot water with an attitude like that." I made a face, sticking my tongue out at Hiei before closing the door to the bathroom and turning on the shower. Stripping the rest of my clothes, I relished in the hot water as I began to scrub myself clean. I exited out of the shower before realizing the tavern didn't have towels. I sighed, using my energy to dry myself off.

I cracked the bathroom door open. "I'm coming out of the bathroom now."

There was no reply, so I opened the door all the way and walked out in the nude.

_Hiei probably left for a little bit. _I opened my getaway bag and took out a clean outfit. I was able to get changed all the way just as the door slammed open. Hiei walked in, dragging the corpse of a wild hog in the room. I couldn't contain the joy I felt seeing this gesture from Hiei.

"The guy let you bring this to me?" I asked, warping myself to Hiei's side, smiling from ear to ear.

"It's none of his concern if we eat in here or not."

I took out my daggers and knelt beside the carcass. "You did well. A mark of a great man, you have my thanks." I complimented Hiei in my native tongue. I dragged the corpse to the bathroom and into the shower area, where I sliced, gutted and cleaned the hog. With some strips, I was able to make jerky snacks and with the rest, a meal. The meat wasn't seasoned but it gave energy and sustenance nonetheless. A knock at the door made me get up and answer.

"Hello, would you like complimentary tea for this room?"

"Sure! Thank you!" I exclaimed, taking the tray of tea from the person, not noticing there was only one cup. I closed the door and carried the tray back to where we were eating. I took the cup from the tray, ready to drink.

"I wouldn't trust the tea." Hiei warned.

"This whole place smells of tea. Why would this cup be different?" I asked, taking a swig. The tea was lukewarm, but I didn't notice anything strange about it. "I mean, it's kinda cold for tea." I gazed at the cup, swinging it in a circular motion. Hiei smacked the cup out of my hand. My stomach started to hurt and everything was fuzzy. My right hand was on my stomach, my left was covering my mouth so I didn't throw up. I don't even remember hitting the floor.

Hiei's POV

"Damn it!" I cursed as I saw Natsumi's expressions change from being elated, to questioning the tea, to finally realizing there was poison and she was about to get sick or die. Maybe both. I sighed as I scooped her up in my arms and laid her on the bed. A part of me wanted to find this mysterious person that gave the tea to her while the other side told me to stay with her. Natsumi's breathing was becoming shallow, her heart slowing down considerably. This brought me back to the memory of when she first obtained the Phoenix. I couldn't see any flames, but the sounds that Natsumi was making confirmed that she was feeling the Phoenix's fire. I had watched her die, not affected if she were to stay dead. This time, though...I swallowed hard. _What an idiot. I told her not to drink it._ These thoughts weren't helping me. My other thoughts surrounded on what happened in the morning, and how I am fond of this girl. Her heart stopped as well as her breathing. I felt as if twelve blades stabbed my heart simultaneously. _I will annihilate this whole tavern. I will destroy this city. I will- _A gasp of air distracted me. Natsumi was breathing again, her heart speeding up to beat at its normal pace. _I will protect her from herself._

Natsumi's POV

I opened my eyes and noticed I wasn't on the floor, but on the bed. Hiei was by my left side, for a split second it looked like he was worried. Now, he looked like he was ready to choke me out for not listening to him. _Okay, but I just died. I learned my lesson. _

"Why don't you listen to me?" Hiei was irritated.

"I didn't mean to, tea just sounded good and I wanted some."

"You have a person in your dreams that wants to kill you, you heard that he has eyes everywhere, yet you're naïve enough to accept tea from strangers?!"

"Well, how long was I dead?"

"That's NOT the point!"

I opened my mouth and closed it. Things were going so well and then I had to mess it up. Hiei did have valid points, he was looking after me more than I was myself.

"You're right, I should have listened." I said quietly, sitting up. Hiei turned his back to me. I narrowed my eyes, and scooted over to where I could grab his right hand with my left. "Listen to me! I'm trying to apologize here."

A jolt of power ran between my arm and his, as Hiei turned to face me. Our eyes widened in surprise as the power grew and began to glow. It was a soothing feeling that washed over my wrist and forearm, as if in this moment, our pain didn't ail us. I knew exactly what this meant and was curious if he knew or not. I let go of Hiei's hand, feeling slightly embarrassed I held onto it for as long as I did. The pain in my wrist returned, although I was healed more. I looked up at Hiei and smiled, before passing out on the bed.

Hiei sighed. Natsumi took up the whole bed, not that he intended to sleep by her side anyway. He was still deep in thought of the events that happened in the morning. He perched himself on the window seat, gazing out of the window. He was still trying to come to terms with his feelings and how this will affect him. Hiei then turned his attention to the puzzle of Natsumi's mind. He began to piece it together, but it left him with more questions than answers. Finally, he too, drifted off into slumber.

I woke up, eager to go to the spirit world complex. I wanted to change clothes, have a real shower, but most of all, get out of demon world. It was exhausting me to constantly look over my back and be careful about not getting spotted. Hiei was waking up too as I gathered all my belongings.

"Morning!" I chirped happily.

"...mm"

"Let's go so we can get the thing and go back!" I was brimming with excitement and anxious to leave. Hiei nodded and led me out of the tavern, back to the place where the office is.

"Perfect! Here is the package for the young prince!" a small bear demon exclaimed. I received a large, wooden crate, yet strangely, it wasn't heavy. "Please do tell him that if he needs any more outfits for any more occasions, don't hesitate to call me!"

"This...these.. are clothes inside?" I was aghast, paling to a sickly shade of white.

"Yes Ma'am! But these are high quality clothes, many demons would steal these for themselves."

"I need a portal to the Spirit World." I requested.

"I'm sorry, I don't have the means to-"

"I will not repeat myself." I demanded.

"Uhh of course, but it costs-" the bear demon began to stutter.

I reached down in my boot and threw whatever money I had left. "Bill the rest to Koenma."

The bear demon nodded and took out a scroll and began to chant. A portal appeared in front of me. I motioned for Hiei to go first before following in after.

"You took me away from training for some CLOTHES?!" I bellowed, charging through Koenma's office with the crate.

"Aha! Natsumi! Hi there!" Koenma greeted.

I slammed the crate on Koenma's desk, splitting the desk slightly.

"Hiei and I are the only ones CAPABLE to do the mission?" I roared, my spirit energy messing with the electricity in the office.

"Now now, did I say that?" Koenma began to laugh it off, not taking me seriously.

"Damn it Koenma! Answer me!" I was shaking. I wanted to wrap my hands around his neck and watch him beg for his life...but well, he's my boss, and the son of the Big Boss himself.

"Natsumi, please remember, I literally hold your life in my hands. You are working for me so you can clean you slate from your past offenses." Koenma sobered up.

"You can't keep holding that over my head!"

"You bet I can!" Koenma winked at me, "Just like you can also bet that my SI caught some glimpses of the real you and Hiei."

"SI?"

"Spirit Intelligence. Seems you and Hiei have gotten rather close in this last mission, doesn't it?" Koenma switched back to the subject I was trying to avoid. He took his remote and showed a slideshow of pictures that were taken early in the morning. I moved so I was next to Koenma, turning scarlet and looking away.

"Shut that off please."

"But look at this one! I think this one captures the beautiful moment of you waking up."

I saw the door to Koenma's office open, with Kuwabara and Kurama walking in. I made a fireball and hurled it at the television that had the slideshow on it, destroying the evidence.

"Hey! You can't do that! That's Spirit World Property!" Koenma shouted after me.

"Sorry Koenma!" I called back, warping off to where my room was. The last thing I ever wanted was anyone we work with know about our relationship. It would cause unnecessary banter that I knew of for sure.

Opening my bedroom door and shutting it behind me, I warped to my bed and plopped down on my tummy. If Yusuke were to give me crap about my relationship, I could easily counter with Keiko. This could also work in my favor with Kuwabara and Yukina, although I will have to be careful about that for obvious reasons. I wasn't worried about Kurama, but it really made me think on why I saw Yoko that one night. I shrugged to myself and yawned, content to be "home" again. Tomorrow, my intense training for the Dark Tournament would continue. I would not allow my time to be wasted for a laundry trip.


	9. Chapter 9

Keisuke, Sakyo and the Toguro brothers were seated at a rather large rectangular table that was dressed in the finest linens money could afford.

"The Dark Tournament is approaching. Would it be wise to allow the Phoenix to fight?" Sakyo posed the question to the other men.

"I don't believe so." the younger Toguro said after a few moments. "I already dispatched a messenger telling Genkai that her student cannot back out of the Tournament and, knowing her, she will be the fifth person for the team."

"How do you propose we distract this, Natsumi, away from the Urameshi team?" Sakyo fired another question, carefully calculating on what was the known behavior of Natsumi.

"Something, or rather, someone is protecting her inside her dreams. The most I will be able to do is issue a warning that will catch her attention." Keisuke spoke up, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

"I want to know this warning will work, because I can make it happen." the elder Toguro volunteered.

"Heh, don't think little of me. Natsumi's loyalty knows no ends with this pack." Keisuke paused and grinned, an evil glint flickered across his golden eyes, "I simply have to show her their deaths, instead of hers."

The men murmured in agreement, nodding and turning their attention back to their "leader".

"Let's give her a little adventure. Two nights before the Dark Tournament, send her away from the rest of the team." Sakyo chuckled.

"Understood." they chorused.

Hiei's POV

My mind continued to take me back to when Natsumi had grabbed my right hand. _That power- _it wasn't normal, there is no possible way. _The energy I felt was definitely Natsumi's, yet somehow it felt...familiar. _My arm had healed completely from using the Dragon technique, thanks to that. I exhaled with irritation and made my way out to the training grounds.

I mindlessly jumped into the nearest tree and sat down. _Natsumi. _This was becoming a hindrance, my mind going back to her. I narrowed my eyes. I recalled the first time Natsumi and me encountered one another.

_A hooded figure was behind the ever so careless Goukai. I warped behind the figure and slashed the air with my sword. I grinned, somewhat pleased and annoyed that I didn't kill this mysterious person right away. An attack came from behind, the attacker missing me. _

"_Damn." the figure cursed._

"_Hn." I smirked and began a flurry of slashes. The person was defending, but I was pushing them back. I immediately halted the attack as Goukai snatched the hooded figure with a swipe of his massive hand._

"_Having a difficult time with this one, Hiei?" Goukai sneered, turning his hand to look at the figure._

"_Hardly." I scoffed, still holding my sword._

"_Unhand me!" a feminine voice came from the hooded figure._

_It came as a bit of a shock, not many female demons choose to fight. I raised an eyebrow before putting my sword away._

"_That's cute, you trying to give me orders." Goukai gave a good squeeze and a gasp escaped the girls lips. _

"_What are you doing following us?" I asked._

_The girl stayed quiet for a moment, pondering if she should speak or remain silent. Goukai took his other hand and yanked back the hood, tresses of red hair spilled out. Laughing, Goukai turned his hand so I could see the face under the hood. Ice blue eyes widened as she was swung around to see me, face to face. A faint scar, about a centimeter long, was beneath her right eye._

"_I just happened upon him.." she nudged her head towards Goukai's direction. "I heard him say something about a vault, so I thought I would see where."_

_Kurama appeared from where he was standing in the shadows."Hello, I'm Kurama in the demon world, in the human world my name is Shuichi." Kurama smiled gently at the girl._

"_I'm Natsumi." she awkwardly introduced herself, mimicking the smile Kurama gave her._

"_If you don't mind me asking, why are you in these part of the woods?" Kurama asked Natsumi._

"_Looking for trouble, obviously." she laughed._

"_You don't want anything from the vault?" Kurama inquired._

_Natsumi shook her head. "I think it's more than enough I am able to walk among a legend!" she exclaimed, excitement shining in her cool eyes. "Even I heard stories of the great bandit fox, Yoko Kurama! You were my inspiration." It seemed Natsumi realized exactly who Kurama was and got starstruck, staring at Kurama with her mouth agape._

"_Hn. Now that you've done that, leave." I muttered._

"_We haven't done anything fun yet!" Natsumi pouted. "I don't want to go back to- wherever I was before this." Natsumi had almost slipped but saved herself at the last second._

Images and memories flooded my mind, the one constant that remained in the center of everything was her, the one whose written name meant, "Beautiful Summer." I closed my eyes and leaned my weight against the trunk of the tree I was in.

_"Don't mess this up for us or yours will be the first blood on my blade tonight."_

_"Hiei!" Natsumi screamed my name._

_"I don't need you looking after me."_

_"Oh shut up. You're not going to get coddled by me."_

_"__Ass." Natsumi coughed after losing to me in our spar._

_Natsumi sitting in the infirmary, holding the apple with a cheeky grin on her face._

_"__Where are you going?" Natsumi asked._

_"__Some place that doesn't concern you. Leave."_

_"__I do have a better idea." Natsumi said, unraveling the plan to me._

_"__What took you so long? It's been a week!" I was agitated then, thinking it had been a week. The thought agitated me now, that I was caught in the time manipulation trap._

_Natsumi's power encircling her and exploding, freeing us._

_The two of us in the complex kitchen, Natsumi's eyes were narrowed and cold. "You used me as a distraction!" I closed the space between us and began to see her memories._

_Was it when we sparred together for two months straight, that this fondness developed? Or was it when she managed to surprise me by holding the apple that she had stolen? A feeling tugged at my mind, when I remembered the Black Book Club incident and with Kurama. __Jealousy.__I didn't bother to hold back the chuckle. Ridiculous._

_I hadn't seen Natsumi all day, it was getting late and there was still no sign of her. Then, I heard her laughter as it echoed through the complex halls._

_The mint chocolate chip ice cream cone that she forced me have._

_The time when Koenma's SI's found Yukina, and how Natsumi was more than willing to jump right in and help out. She was the one that voiced what no one else would, for me to trust in the team. I watched her writhe and scream in pain as an invisible yet powerful force consumed her body, inside and out. I had witnessed her death and rebirth. _

_Thinking back on that now, I would have probably cared more if I knew that Yukina was safe. But she wasn't. My sister was being tortured by the human scum, Tarukane. I was caught between supervising Natsumi, who was fighting for her life as a greater being forced its way inside of her and saving my sister, who was forced to watch the detective and his idiot friend fight against the Toguro brothers._

_"__Yet you chose to stay with Natsumi." __a deep rumbling voice entered my mind._

_I opened my eyes and began to look around for the trespasser._

_"__You only need to look inside yourself, Hiei." __an image of the Black Dragon entered in my mind._

_"__What do you want?" __I was caught off-guard at this unexpected visit._

_"__I'll permit you to resume walking down memory lane as soon as I am finished here. You called to me in a desperate attempt to save the girl that you care for. You're not strong enough to wield me but take solace in the fact that no one is. If you call upon me again, I will consume your being."_

_"__We shall see about that. It will be you executing my orders when I call upon you." I smirked._

_The dragon roared, before receding from my mind. My right arm began to feel a dull throb._

_The dragon was right about one thing, I did need to get stronger. The Dark Tournament was approaching and I needed to be able to pull my own weight, plus some for Kuwabara. I jumped out of the tree and landed softly on the grass. This dragon will know that I will be its master. I walked over to where the training dummies were and began to punch._

_The image of Natsumi badly beaten from challenging the younger Toguro brother as he held her up by her hair._

_The onslaught of punches continued as they began to get faster. I was furious that I watched him play around with her. I was livid to know that if it were me to fight him then, I would have fared worse._

_I remembered not hearing anything from Natsumi the following week and how I bribed George to tell me Natsumi's whereabouts._

_"__Umm..Natsumi? She's with Genkai right now." George cautiously looked around, his brown eyes darted across the room and his ears perked up to heighten his hearing._

_Another image flashed, Natsumi entering the kitchen area with a smirk on her face as she asked what was wrong with the infirmary to Kuwabara. The way her eyes narrowed at Kuwabara's mention that she would be better off with Kurama._

_Why in the world would this loud idiot attempt to play matchmaker with Natsumi and Kurama? That must mean that Kurama was interested in her. Does Kurama want Natsumi to himself? __I halted my punches, glancing over at the now splintered and broken training dummy. _

_"__Why am I caring about this? __There is nothing between us."_ I told myself. The wind picked up a bit, giving a nice cool breeze. I inhaled as the wind gently blew across me and stopped. Somewhere, I heard Natsumi's laughter, softly challenging my thought about us. _Was that in the wind or in my head? _My pulse began to quicken and I strained my senses to pick up on her energy. Natsumi wasn't around in the training ground area. In fact, Natsumi wasn't in the complex or anywhere in Spirit World.

Natsumi's POV

My bedroom door burst open, slamming against the stone wall. I jumped up and unsheathed my daggers, ready to take on the intruder.

"Natsumi! We have another mission for you!" Botan called, her blue hair whipped back and forth as she strode to me.

"What happened to knocking?" I asked, bewildered.

"Sorry, it's an emergency. Koenma needs you to-"

"I JUST got back! What does he need now?" I complained, sheathing my daggers.

"Well, it's rude to interrupt, but he needs your skills of reconnaissance."

I paused, looking up at Botan. "I understand. Do I leave now?"

Botan nodded. "I'm afraid it's just you..."

"What do you mean 'afraid'?" I asked as I turned to pick up the getaway bag.

"It's just you on this mission."

"Hah! Well who else would be needed?" I chuckled, packing my newest outfit in neatly.

"Well, the SI's showed Koenma the pictures and I just happened to be there.." Botan trailed off, laughing nervously.

I put my right hand behind my head. "Whatever Hiei and I have is between us, you know? We all need to take this time to focus on the Dark Tournament, not what Hiei and Natsumi are doing." I reminded her.

Botan smiled and nodded, pleased that I didn't set anything on fire or threaten her. "Here is the paperwork. You'll just call me once your mission is complete." Botan handed me the mirror communicator.

"Thanks Botan."

"Did you want to tell the guys you're on a mission?"

I raised my eyebrows at Botan. "They're big boys. I'm confident Hiei and Kurama can put two and two together."

"I'll see you when you call!"

I gave a small wave before entering the portal.

I was in a green area, with rolling hills and plant life in full blossom. I wrinkled my nose as the scents began to overpower the air, each one fighting to be recognized. I unrolled the paperwork and skimmed the hastily scrawled writing of Koenma. I clenched my teeth and jaw as I began to withdraw my power. _Blend in as if you have no power._ I was hating this mission already. I felt my body protest as I continued to withdraw my aura, my breathing becoming labored. I had a flashback when I was training with Genkai while Yusuke was forced to run laps.

"_Your physical strength tops out at only so much, but your energy can reach limitless heights with proper training" Genkai explained as she muttered some words before quickly tying my hands together with spirit energy, then tying my feet together. She wrapped my neck in the same energy and I coughed, struggling against the energy._

_I was covered in sweat, my chest was rising and falling in heavy breaths as I kept pushing myself to use all of my power to move. I screamed, as if that were to help me out._

"_Listen to me Natsumi! The Phoenix and I have some history together. I was taught that technique by her, or rather, the host of her. You need to be at full power for this to work for you."_

"_I'm trying!" I yelled, beginning to shake from feeling my power surrounding me._

"_Try harder! You'll never be able to achieve anything the way you are! Maybe I should take down your mental block and have that creep have his way with you!"_

_I continued to push myself, drawing any inner strength that I had and using it as energy. Blood began to drip from my nose and I blinked back the tears that stung my eyes._

_Genkai stepped forward, holding her hand out, her energy ready to take the mental block down._

"_NO!" I roared, my energy spiked dramatically, pushing Genkai a step back. I felt the bloodlust rising, my urge to kill climbing with my increased heart rate. I was able to move, leaping backwards and distancing myself from her. _

"_Good. You will be at full power from here on out all the time."_

I shook my head, trying to focus my energy down so I would be able to move but not let others know how powerful I am. It hurt like hell. My head pounded and I yawned. I decided it would be best to find an area where I could rest for a bit before doing the mission. _So cold. _Without my energy, I was becoming cold rather quickly. I bundled myself up into a little ball under a tree and yawned again. _I'll take a short nap and then be back in no time._

_My dream took me back to when I first started my journey. After breaking away from the lab that both humans and demons collaborated research on, I fled. I wasn't used to running in my leather outfit for quite some time, my daggers feeling heavy on my thighs. Every time my foot hit the ground sounded like freedom and every tree that I passed after that whispered, "Good riddance." I vowed to myself that I would never again be put in a place where I had to fulfill the demands of people. Just ahead, a small shimmer of a campfire could be seen through the somewhat sparse forest. A big and burly shadow loomed near the fire. I was able to make out that this demon had short messy hair. I crept closer, doing my best to hear what the male voice was saying. _

"_We're going to bust into the vault soon?" the hulking figure asked._

_I couldn't hear any other murmurs as I closed the space between this demon. I instinctively threw myself to the right, avoiding an oncoming attack from a flying shadow. I lunged at the attacker, also missing. "Damn." _

"_Hn." this mysterious shadow began slashing with their sword, quick, precise strikes. All I was able to do was defend with my daggers and back away as the force of the sword was greater than the force of my daggers. In the heat of this battle, I was swooped up inside a huge hand. I felt exhausted, I refused to eat the "food" the lab provided, fearing it would make me complacent like the other girls in there._

"_Unhand me!" I demanded, successfully appearing that I still had energy to fight. A large hand reached back behind my head and pulled off my hood. I glared at the male demon that held me, and a second later I was swung around, face to face with the shadow. Those crimson eyes were captivating, and I answered any questions that he and this other demon asked. A redheaded boy emerged from the shadows as well and introduced himself. Yoko Kurama DID survive? I was elated, and admittedly, checking him out. Not many people can say that they met their inspiration, and talked with them, right? I relished in the opportunity that I had, opening myself up to Kurama and sharing my exploits, and asking about the validity of some stories I heard._

_Hiei. Throughout my dream, everything continued to change, but he was always the same. I myself didn't want to believe that I had feelings for him but there was no denying it. I chose to be on his side the day that Kurama helped out Yusuke. My decision wasn't based out of fear or pity for Hiei, it was because I respected him. I saw that he had the drive to make whatever changes he wanted to see happen, I wanted to be there as we both continued to learn and grow stronger...I wanted to be by his side. It felt like my soul was crushed when I was able to see his dream, getting the Jagan eye and watching Yukina from afar. The Elders, what would they say to me? Would they tell me that this is the true path and I must pursue it? It doesn't matter, there is only two surviving members, and I will never forgive Keisuke._

With my eyes closed, I swatted away something that felt like it was poking me. The poking continued so I opened up my eyes and growled.

"Hey! You are alive!" a boy with striking green eyes and three stars tattooed under his left eye said. His brown hair was parted down the middle and he was wearing a long yellow sleeved shirt with a red sleeveless shirt over top, a large stick was in his left hand.

"I was alive when I swatted that stick away." I tried to get up from my spot, forgetting I had to use some power, and fell back down coughing.

"You okay?" the boy asked.

I coughed one last time. "I assure you, I'm well." I smiled and channeled some of my energy to allow me to move.

"What are you doing here, all alone?" the questions continued from the little boy.

"I'm getting more acquainted with the area." I lied easily.

"Oh yeah? What's your name?"

"I'm Natsumi." I extended my right hand out to the little boy, remembering humans use the handshake as a way of greeting for the first time.

The boy looked at my hand curiously. "That's a pretty name, I like it!" the boy approved.

"To whom do I have the pleasure of making this acquaintance?" I beamed at the boy, taking back my right hand and instead placing it on my right hip.

"I'm Rinku!" he said as he shoved his hands into his pants pockets and smiled.

"What'z all the fuss about?" a very tall, well-built muscular man with electric blue hair styled in a mohawk walked up to Rinku. This man had one green stripe that was tattooed across the bridge of his nose.

"Oh hey! This is Chu." Rinku introduced the man to me.

"Nice to meet you." I grinned, looking up.

"Now there, a beautiful Shelia you are." Chu complimented.

I tilted my head to the left, trying to understand what a "Shelia" was before quickly dismissing it and remembering my mission. I looked around, trying to figure out where I was.

"Hey, Rinku, is there a town near here, by chance?" I decided it would be best to ask.

"Well, yes and no. We just found our sixth member for our team, but he kinda destroyed the city Chu walked away from." Rinku laughed. "However, there should be another place not too far to the East."

"Yeah that Zeru got a temper on 'im, all right. Nothin left, not even booze." Chu grumbled.

"Oh okay, thank you." I reached for my getaway bag.

"Are you really all alone?" Rinku asked me.

I nodded. "Wait, you said sixth member? Are you talking about for the Dark Tournament?"

"You know 'bout it, then?" Chu chuckled.

"I'm not much of a fighter, but I thought it was five?" I lied again, looking innocent.

"We all want ta make a name for ourselves, ya know? I thought we'd play Rock, Paper, Scissors an have fun with it." Chu was serious at first before breaking into a smile about how he wants to get chosen to fight.

"If you're not much of a fighter, why are you out here all alone?" Rinku continued his questioning.

"I don't believe demons are as bad as we make them out to be." my statement was weak, but Rinku let it pass.

"Let's get some booze already!" Chu yelled, turning to walk to the next town.

"You're going to scare Natsumi away, you big ol' drunk!" Rinku yelled at Chu. Chu smacked Rinku in retribution, but it seemed in the playful kind.

"Come on Natsumi!" Rinku motioned for me to follow them, so I did smiling, pleased that I could do my mission as well as have friendly faces to chat with.

We were coming up on a city that was inside of a mountain. I began to sweat and shake, my energy threatening to let out at once or fail me completely. I fell to my knees and began to cough, the invisible spirit cuff around my neck forcing me to put my head near the ground.

"Chu, I think something is wrong with her!" Rinku panicked.

"She's cold." Chu picked me up with ease and slung me over his right shoulder. "We'll meet up with th' team and see if she gets better."

"Sorry." was all I was able to mumble before my world went black.

Sometime later, I awoke with a heavy blanket on me. I shivered as I felt my energy pulsing through me, straining to be let out.

"You had me worried Natsumi! You shouldn't lie like that!" Rinku chided me.

"The weakling has awoken." a new voice spoke up. I rolled on my back to see who was talking. A blond apparition with blue eyes and pointed ears was seated across from me.

"Don't bully her! She's nice!" Rinku defended me.

"Nice doesn't get you very far in the demon world." the blond male fixed his cold stare upon me.

I could feel this demon's power. It was as if he was purposefully emitting it to show that he was someone of importance. I smirked. I_ can easily beat this one. _"You are a flame apparition as well?" I stared up at Zeru.

"You shouldn't compare yourself to me." Zeru's words were clipped, his body language all but screaming his dislike of me.

"Natsumi, feeling better?" Chu swaggered in, reeking in the scent of sake.

I used my energy to lift up my arms and give Chu two-thumbs up. "Yes, thank you."

Chu grabbed both of my wrists and lifted me up, I shivered as I felt the blanket fall and the cool air hitting me. Chu then sat me on a bench and plopped down on the ground beside me, criss-crossing his legs.

"We're back!" three voices chorused, entering through a door. I turned my head to look at the rest of the team. The demon in the front was slim, wearing a dark green trench-coat, black pants and shoes. His yellow eyes with purple pupils quickly found their way to me. A wicked smile revealed fang-like teeth as he came closer. I noticed he had bluish skin, unlike the rest of the demons I have encountered, whose skin tones came in flesh colors- ranging from dark to fair. Behind the one leading were two other male demons, both taller than Zeru. The one on right side was wearing a short sleeved green shirt, brown pants and black boots. Short, black and curly hair complimented his dark skin tone. The demon on the left side, was wearing a long sleeved white shirt and black pants. A rather large, red beaded necklace hung from his neck. Long, brown and curly hair framed his somewhat tanned slender face, his circular sunglasses looking peculiar, yet somehow it worked well.

"What do we have here?" the demon in the front asked Chu, stopping on Chu's right side.

"A trespasser?" the demon with the green shirt asked.

"A foe?" the demon in the sunglasses asked.

"A weakling." Zeru answered.

"A _friend!" _Rinku said, emphasizing the friend part.

The three demons turned to look down at Rinku.

"A friend?" the bluish demon laughed. "We don't associate with weaklings, child."

"Roto, watch yourself." Rinku growled, his childish face furrowed in agitation.

"Zeru's right, she is a weakling. She doesn't have a purpose here." the demon with the green shirt nodded in Zeru's direction.

"Stop sucking up to Zeru, Gaou! That's all you do is agree with him!" Rinku turned his attention to the one named Gaou, looking up defiantly at him.

"I can think of one purpose she can serve." the demon with sunglasses spoke up, his sunglasses reflecting some light as he turned his attention to me and smiled.

"Imajin, no!" Rinku yelled, frustrated that none of his team-mates would listen.

Chu stood up without saying a word. In a flash, the three demons were knocked down on the floor.

"It seems we need ta have a lesson, team!" he roared, moving with such speed it was hard for me to follow his movements. Chu continued to pulverize the three, yelling obscenities and about teamwork. Through all of the confusion, I took the opportunity to escape and continue my mission.

I felt a twinge of guilt as I left without saying anything to Rinku. _I have a feeling I'll see him at the Dark Tournament._ I reassured myself as I came across a clearing. A natural rock bridge allowed passage to get to the other side. There were several waterfalls, all glistening in the moon's light. The water was smooth, gently rocking against the shore and the bridge. There were trees and brush nearby and on the top of where the water fell. I stood still, capturing every moment I could in this beautiful place, and wished that someone could be here with me to experience this.

"_You know there is a specific person you wish were here." _Phoenix decided to finally interrupt my thoughts.

"_I'm almost positive that he would enjoy this." _I smiled to myself, inhaling the fresh scent of the water that fell in a mist.

"_Does he know you and him are meant to be?"_

I bit my lip and looked down at my feet, shaking my head. _"I can't read minds like he can. Some days are better than others." _

"_Do you think he is scared?"_

"_Scared? That's a word I would never describe for him."_

"_Scared of coming to terms that he has feelings for you?"_

"_I didn't know you could be afraid of having feelings for someone."_

Phoenix laughed in my head. _"Natsumi, you do it too. You both are playing this give-and take game, hoping that the other gives in first."_

"_Okay, but I'm the one that can admit that I like him. I'm already a step ahead. I want to be on the same page as he, so we can move together knowing full well what we are."_

"_Communicate with him. You have no idea if he admits he likes you or not if you never ask."_

My heart felt like it twisted. Phoenix had a valid point and I was fighting with myself that I would need to be the one to make the move. I began walking, using the rock bridge to cross to the other side.

Over a week had passed, and I had one more team to spy on. I saved this particular team last, just because they would be the hardest to track down. Shinobi didn't want anyone to find them, preferring to live away from the normal world. _We do have some similarities_. I grew up in the craggy terrain of a mountain with a clan. Shinobi grow up in the shadows, learning quickly how to be silent, swift and deadly. During this week, I had learned to perfect my power manipulation, decreasing it to where it wouldn't even be a blip on demon radar. I trudged on the scarcely traveled path in a dark forest. I froze, feeling a surge of power not too far from me. _Is this them?_ I couldn't help but get excited, I wanted to go back to Spirit World. I went into stealth and made my way over to where I felt the power.

I had finally made it to where the power was coming from. Five figures were disguised in long, black cowls with pointy hoods, and black robes. The cowls were well made, not a facial hole in sight. Five different symbols adorned the cowls. The largest shinobi had five red circles, the next had a green circle, a red diamond, a white cross, and a white pentagon for the last one.

"Butajiri has increased the funds for us." the red diamond robe started.

"What's his plan?" the one with the white pentagon asked.

"Who cares?" the one with the five red circles shrugged.

"Will we kill him after we win?" the green circle inquired.

"As long as we get our freedom, we will let him live." the white cross spoke.

"Let's not be like the trash demons that are siding with Team Urameshi, and kill him as soon as we win." the green circle pressed.

I picked up a rock and threw it, it colliding with the middle of the green circle's face. I leapt into action, incapacitating the red diamond from behind, giving a kidney shot to the one with the five red circles, and using my spirit energy to throw three spirit flame daggers, with poison at the white pentagon, cross and the green circle. I didn't look back as I sprinted as fast as I could, even running over water as my feet blurred over the top. I found a cave and ran inside. Breathing heavily, I took out the communicator Botan had given me. I opened it up, and pressed the button to speak to her.

"Oh? Natsumi! Hey!" Botan greeted.

"Botan, I don't have that much time, I need a portal now please." I spoke hurriedly.

Just then, a pink portal appeared to my left side. I dove in, hearing the angry voices and feeling the shinobi's spirit powers coming closer.

I landed face first in Koenma's office, panting lightly from the chase. The portal instantly closed behind me. I stayed on the ground for a moment before getting up.

"Report." Koenma commanded, sitting forward in his chair.

I nodded. "Team Rokuyukai have six, just like the name implies. They are going to settle who fights by using some game. Team Gorenja have five members, although only three of the fighters are interesting. Team Spirit Warriors have six on their team, five of them have overwhelming strength and massive weapons. Strangely, Team Gokai Six only have five members. I'm not too worried about this team, I have faith that Kuwabara would be able to mop the floor with them. Dr. Ichigaki team has me unnerved. Something isn't right about that guy or his fighters. Team Uraotogi doesn't seem like anything special, but I wouldn't write them off so easily. Lastly, Team Masho. I've confirmed they are the shinobi of the Spirit World."

Koenma crossed his arms and nodded. "You've done better work than my SI's, Thank you for your report. Go and train now." Koenma uncrossed his arms and began waving me away. I shrugged and turned around, exiting the office.

Hiei's POV

_It's been over a week and nothing has changed. Every time I try to summon the Dragon, it's too unstable. I was angry with myself. How does Natsumi do it so easily? Speaking of Natsumi, I should probably see where she is. The last time I checked in on her she was at the Seven Waterfalls. The place was nice, but I never thought of it as "breathtaking" or "beautiful" until I saw Natsumi standing in the picture. _I balled my right hand in a fist. To be thinking such things when I have more important tasks to do wasn't allowed. As I took off my white bandana, a wave of demon energy rolled over the complex. I smirked and began to tie my bandana back on. Natsumi was definitely back. I quickly exited my room and headed to the training grounds, confident that she would arrive any second. I leaned myself against a tree, closed my eyes and waited. A few moments passed, I heard the door open up, and I opened my eyes to see Natsumi walking out. She spotted me and began walking my way. My heartbeat quickened, watching her hair bounce with every step she took, her eyes letting me know she was successful and her smile... I turned my head to the right, finding a blade of grass to glare at while the blood that rushed to my face could regulate.

"Hey." she greeted, stopping a few feet in front of me.

"Did you get sent on another pointless mission?" I turned my face to look at her.

"Thankfully not." she met my eyes with hers before looking down. I could tell she wanted to say more, but held her words.

"What information are you withholding?"

Natsumi looked up at me. "My nerves are just getting the best of me. I know we will be able to defeat this entire tournament." she smiled.

"That's not everything." I pressed. I didn't need to use my powers to read her.

Natsumi took a few steps forward, closing the space between us. "You...I...we're supposed..." she struggled with her words, I used my power to read her mind only to find that she was jumbling up the words in her head, it being completely incomprehensible.

I sighed, annoyed that she was having difficulty explaining herself.

She sighed as well, and stepped forward, her face only inches from mine. She was leaning in when...

"WHAAAATTT?! Were you really about to kiss Shrimp just now?" Kuwabara's voice rang out.

Natsumi turned her head and glared at Kuwabara. "No! I was telling him something!" she declared defensively.

"It looked a lot like you were telling him to kiss you!" Kuwabara taunted. "But hey! It's all good, I guess kissing can be a part of training too, since you gotta practice at it."

"This is ridiculous! Prepare yourself! We spar now!" Natsumi called out as she left me to sprint after Kuwabara making kissing noises at her.

"_You do know what she was trying to say, correct?" The thunderous voice boomed in my head._

"_Her mind was a complete mess, I have no time to finish the puzzle."_

"_I had always been powerful. Demons and humans alike worshiped and feared me. I too, was on a quest for more power. To be the greatest deity in all the universe. Sometime on my quest for power, I met Phoenix. She was my equal in battle, and it would remain that way. One day, she told me how she felt about us, and I rejected her. She swore to me that she would surpass my strength, and the evidence manifested itself. It wasn't rage, hatred or wrath that had given her this new power, it was love. Had I realized earlier on that love makes one stronger, I would have done things differently."_

"_You're telling me that she cares for me."_

"_I'm telling you to not be a fool. It seems that I may have a second chance, and I will do everything in my power to right the wrong I did, with or without you."_

It was I who had cut off the connection, not wanting the Dragon to realize the information he had given me sent my thoughts rapidly racing about Natsumi and what her intentions were for me. For us. I slumped my back against the tree and breathed out a frustrated stream of air. I inhaled and sped off to my room, not wanting to take any chances of Kurama observing the affect Natsumi has on me. This matter required much thought and inner deliberation, and a quick answer was not the way to go about this. As I closed my door to the room, I walked to my bed, where I sat on the edge and crossed my arms. _Matters of the heart is not an easy subject to think about._

Natsumi's POV

I skidded around the corner of the complex, my eyes locked on the back of Kuwabara's head. I grinned as I readied my right hand into a fist, my intent on giving a swift, non-fatal blow to my instigator's head. I threw my punch with a howl of victory as I felt contact. Kuwabara barreled down his running path with his face on the ground for a few feet.

"What is going on here?" Kurama's voice came from behind me.

"He started it!" I pointed to Kuwabara's body, now lying flat.

"WHAT? You're going to blame it on me?!" Kuwabara pushed off the ground with his hands and stomped over to me, bending farther than what was necessary to get in my face.

"You're the one that started making those ridiculous noises at me!" I glared up at him.

"What noises?" Kurama's eyes reflected worry before resuming their observant look.

"Ok! Ok! Ok! But you're not going believe it, Kurama. Natsumi and Hiei were going to kis-"

My right fist gifted Kuwabara's chin with a swift uppercut, interrupting him.

"He thinks it was more than a conversation. He proceeded to taunt me with these atrocious kissing noises and he needed to be set straight." I said with my eyes closed, smiling. I didn't want to take the chance of Kurama seeing through my blatant lie. I turned around, opened my eyes and sprinted around the grounds, leaving Kurama and Kuwabara alone, three seconds into my run.

Kurama, Kuwabara and Yusuke attended school as usual, the only difference is Yusuke would go to Master Genkai's house while Kurama and Kuwabara would try to make it to Spirit World. Hiei and me were really the only ones in Spirit World, training the days away. Of course, crime doesn't stop just because everyone is preparing for the Dark Tournament, so Koenma would often send me on solo missions. There were a few times that I went on missions with Kurama and also a few times with Kuwabara. I often reflected on those experiences with them, and compare them to how I do missions with Hiei. When Kurama and me are a team, Kurama is normally the one that is making adjustments to how I fight, and then after some tinkering we have a solid offense and defense. I'm sure that when school is out, and he has more time to train, Kurama and I could practice on perfecting our attack combinations. When it is Kuwabara and me as a team, I'm the one making adjustments for him. Too often by the time he is done talking, I vanquished the threats, or as Koenma has been stressing lately, _subdue_ them. Thinking now to how Hiei and me fight as a team, I break out in a smile. When we fight, no one makes an adjustment for the other, it is established which direction each of us like to start the fight in. He goes to the left and I to the right. If there is a particularly difficult opponent, I will stealth, use my poisons and distribute bodily harm while Hiei has their attention.

Three days before the Dark Tournament. Hiei and I agreed in the week countdown we should spar with the intent to kill. So far, Hiei was in the lead 3-1. I felt stressed out more than ever, yet I kept myself calm and collected, not wanting to give out any bad vibes.

"_What the hell is in your poison?!"_ Hiei grunted and shifted in the infirmary's chair.

I smiled and winked. _"If I tell you then I'd have to kill you."_

The ogre attending Hiei withdrew the last bit of the poison from his arm. "That should do it! Please you two, be careful."

I nodded. "I'm sorry, I got a bit too carried away," I met Hiei's eyes with mine. "It won't happen again."

The ogre finished the paperwork and I walked out with Hiei, and we headed to the complex.

"Look, I didn't mean to-" I started.

"Don't." Hiei finished. "Three wins in the book are meaningless if I had died today."

I yearned to say more, to tell him this defeat wouldn't have happened if I had died in one of previous fights. Such words are meaningless, and any other things would be an insult or salting an open wound.

"It's not like you to keep quiet." Hiei mused.

"You're right. I remember telling you that you won't get coddled by me. I pride myself on many things, one is sticking to my word." I said with a grin.

We arrived at the living area of the complex. I began to head to my room, exhausted from the day's event. I couldn't help but think about the coming days. _The training sessions, were they enough?_ I opened the door to my room and walked inside, shutting the door behind me. Deep in the pit of my stomach, I felt an unease. Keisuke had left me alone for some time, but I felt that he was waiting. Waiting for someone, or something to happen. I begged Phoenix to keep me company but she declined. I didn't want to sleep tonight. I sat on the edge of my bed, shaking my legs to try and stay awake. The unease continued to grow and my eyes felt they were getting heavier and heavier. I closed my eyes and fell backwards onto my bed, completely taken over by exhaustion.

_I was on a crowded landing of some sort. A massive ship was docked, and a ramp was being rolled down from it. I pushed my way through the crowd, unsure of where I was going or needed to go. A dart flew past me and I turned around to see who threw the dart. I continued my search, the crowds proving to be difficult to brush past anymore. I stopped and took a look around where I was. The scene had changed to an all black background, with four silhouettes being outlined. I could tell right away that they were Team Urameshi. Shadows surrounded them and they began to take on life._

_Yusuke's was the first to speak. "Yo! Natsumi! What's up?!"_

_Kuwabara's was next. "Hey! Heard you wanted to be the fifth member for our team."_

_Kurama's followed after. "The only problem is, we already have another person to fight with us._

_Hiei's was last. "It's not a problem, we don't need a weakling like you on the team."_

_I walked backwards, shaking my head furiously at the four silhouettes advancing to me. I bumped into something, and whirled around. Keisuke grinned at me. I stared at him in shock and surprise. _

"_I'm hearing that you want to be a part of the Dark Tournament, and that's fine." Keisuke said as he moved away from me and towards Team Urameshi._

"_What about it?" I asked coldly._

"_You can't do that, aika'mai." Keisuke murmured._

"_Don't you dare call me that! I'll do what I wish!" I snarled._

"_Oh Natsumi," Keisuke chuckled, "I had a feeling you would say that."_

_Keisuke summoned his void tendrils to wrap themselves around Team Urameshi. He then picked up both of his two-handed axes and dual wielded them. With one swing of his mighty ax, Keisuke felled Yusuke's silhouette, everything disappearing except for Yusuke's bright green spirit. Keisuke laughed as the little green spirit was entangled in his void tendrils. I crumpled to my knees, both hands covering my mouth._

"_You see Natsumi? You can do what you wish, but there will be a consequence for it."_

"_NO!" I screamed._

_Kuwabara was next, the same thing- one slash and only a bright orange spirit remained._

"_Stop it!" _

_Kurama was soon after, a bright red spirit with a silver middle._

"_Damn it, Keisuke!"_

_Hiei was last, a bright purple spirit floated in the air._

"_This is the warning. You cannot fight in the Tournament." Keisuke's voice boomed in the background before everything fading to black._

_I yelled something incomprehensible to Keisuke's retreating figure._

I woke up crying and, in a panic, rolled myself up and over off of my bed. My face hit the cold floor and I struggled to pull myself together, the images of Team Urameshi dying still fresh in my mind. The feeling of helplessness overwhelmed me as my body trembled from my adrenaline and tears. I was torn between trying to hold myself together and allowing myself to be shattered. Something finally gave in, and I wept. I grieved over the clan, over the situations I was forced to be in, and my teammates' death. I gave myself up, releasing all of my emotions that I had held in for years, to the stone floor. I cried until I had no more tears, no whimpered sobs and no sniffles. Once I had finally reached that point, I pulled myself up off of the floor, and went to the bathroom to wash my face. I avoided looking at my reflection. I felt ashamed that I had allowed myself to cry for as long as I did.

"_Why won't you look at us?" _Phoenix questioned softly.

"_I don't want to."_

"_I need you to."_

I complied. My hands gripped the edge of the sink and I looked into the mirror. My eyes were puffy and red, yet there was a fierceness behind them. A strange calmness washed over me as I looked at myself. I inhaled and let out a shaky breath. Keisuke had made the warning loud and clear- I wasn't allowed to take part in the Dark Tournament. I began to wonder how I would break the news to Yusuke. I know he was looking forward to seeing how much stronger everyone else had gotten. I turned around and made my way to my bed, this time laying down on my right side. It was too early to start anything, so I might as well take a nap until it's a more reasonable hour.

It felt like I had taken a thirty minute nap when Henry woke me. Bleary-eyed, I rolled over to face my friend, giving a small wave.

"Miss Natsumi, Koenma requires your presence immediately. He said that the dress code is cloth."

"Okay, thank you Henry." I gave a small smile before yawning.

Henry bowed and left my room. I got up and looked through the clothes that Botan helped me get some time ago. I ended up picking out some dark blue jeans with an orange tank top with some black tennis shoes. I picked up my pace and headed to the bathroom to make my hair look decent and brush my teeth. Once I was finished, I rushed out of my room and to Koenma's office.

I opened the door and let myself in to see that I was the only one in the office, with the exception of Koenma.

"You summoned?" I asked casually.

"I'll wait until the rest of the team is here." Koenma sighed. "Too bad they don't come as quickly as you do."

I chuckled. "I'll take my time from now on."

The door opened, and I turned to see Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara enter the office. Kurama was wearing a pair of blue jeans, with a white shirt and white tennis shoes. Kuwabara sported blue jeans with a black tank top and black tennis shoes, and Hiei had black jeans, shoes and a black shirt.

I smiled and nodded a general greeting to them, before turning to face Koenma.

"Where's Urameshi?!" Kuwabara asked loudly.

"He is still training. Now, I have a mission for the four of you." Koenma began. "It shouldn't be too difficult, as it is something to reward you all."

"Reward us?" Kurama asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

I inhaled a small breath and held it. My eyes wandered to my team mates, studying their expressions. Kurama was defensive, calculating what may happen. Kuwabara's jaw hung as he processed the information. Hiei was staring at me, his face refusing to show what he was really thinking.

"Sweet!" Kuwabara cheered.

"You are to enjoy yourselves at a human festival tonight." Koenma started.

I exhaled the breath I was holding in. "Why?" I blurted out. "We should be training, not enjoying ourselves right now! It's crucial we...the team train..." my words fell silent as Koenma interrupted.

"Yes, it's true that you guys do need to train, but tomorrow could possibly be the first fights, and I want everyone well-rested and in good spirits."

"But.." I objected.

A portal opened up beneath the four of us, and we fell to our destination.

Kurama, Hiei and me landed with ease in the human world, while Kuwabara fell face first. I grimaced at the sound of his fall.

"Do you know where we are, Shuichi?" I asked, using Kurama's human name.

"Yes. We are near where I live. I did hear there was a festival going on, but I didn't care to attend it, sharing your concern." Kurama smiled at me.

"What makes him think that I will be confined in a place where we waste time?" Hiei finally spoke.

"He has some of the spirit agents watching us." I said softly. "On your 4'o clock, Ayame is there. To your 12 it's an SI. I think he made sure to cover his bases."

"What are you talking about, Natsumi? Why are you talking about clock times?" Kuwabara was utterly clueless.

"Do you mind leading us to this festival?" I looked up at Kurama.

"Not at all, follow me."

The four of us emerged from a greenhouse. Kurama led us out of the plant observatory and out of a neighborhood, and into the main part of the city. There were hundreds of humans that were working at a fast pace, running things and setting up for the daytime show, and others that continued to move objects around for the main event at night.

"So, what festival is this?" I asked as I saw a group of women wearing yukatas passing by, laughing and chatting amongst themselves.

"This one is the Awa Odori." Kurama answered.

"The Fool's Dance? Why would it be called that?" I pressed.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I believe it comes from the lyrics to a common dance song." Kurama admitted.

"Fool's dance and fools watch, if both are fools, you might as well dance!" Kuwabara sang.

"Or not waste time on such an event." Hiei grumbled.

Our group had fallen into silence as we all looked in different directions, finding little things to do and mentally taking notes. Kuwabara was the first to speak up.

"Hey! I smell dango!" Kuwabara said, clapping excitedly. "See ya, suckers!" he called as he took off running to the street stall.

"Can we leave him here?" I asked, watching Kuwabara's figure stop inches before colliding with the stall.

"I figure we can all do our own thing. I've been meaning to look at some things for my mother." Kurama said as he began to walk in another direction of the city.

I looked at Hiei, asking a silent question.

"No. I refuse to be a part of this." He replied before taking off in a black blur towards some trees.

My eyebrows furrowed together and I huffed, puffing my chest out and walking confidently to another set of street stalls.

My eyes darted around, I could hear every little thing going on around me. The heartbeats of all these humans, the sounds of putting pieces together, children wailing for sweets. The smells were intoxicating, passing by several food stalls as they sold various foods from Takoyaki to chocolate covered bananas. And then, cigarette smoke filled the air.

"Hey you." Shizuru's calm voice came from somewhere in this crowd of people.

I quickly found her location and made my way over to where she was standing.

"Hello Shizuru." I greeted her with a smile.

"I thought I recognized you as one of Kazuma's friends. You look a lot different without that leather armor on." she said before inhaling a puff of her cigarette.

"I'd feel more comfortable if I was allowed to wear that." I laughed. "But I'm supposed to fit in like a normal person, boss's orders."

"Job well done. Want a kiddie snack?"

My eyes lit up and I smiled widely. "Seriously? Please?"

Shizuru chuckled and began to walk over to the chocolate covered banana stand, me following behind her. With her cigarette in her mouth, she held out two fingers for the person at the stall and the person nodded and began to select two bananas. Shizuru paid for them and turned to me, giving me one.

"Here ya go kid."

"Thanks!" I smiled.

"Is my idiot brother around?"

I was about to take a bite of the banana and stopped. "Yeah, I last saw him at the dango stall."

"I have to speak to him about something, but we'll have our heart to heart soon enough." Shizuru turned and waved before disappearing in the crowd.

Time passed, I watched the main event of the dancers before heading out to look for my team mates. As I was walking along an empty side of the city, I witnessed two teenagers sneaking off alone. I went into stealth and followed them. The girl was giggling nervously as the boy continued to shush her before giggling himself. The boy finally took a breath and composed himself. Smirking, he pushed the girl against a wall and began to kiss her. I observed as he tilted his face in the opposite direction of the girl's so they didn't butt heads or bump noses. Both heartbeats increased as the kiss continued. A sloppy exchange of tongues, before stopping to gasp for air. I felt an aching sensation rolling off these two teenagers. The desire of wanting more than what they were being given. The boy went in for the kiss again, this time his left hand was creeping up to the girl's chest as he kissed her. I watched as the girl arched her body, pressing herself against the boy and willingly giving herself up to him. The kiss ended, and the boy began to kiss the girl's neck. I decided it was time to leave, as things were not interesting anymore. I honestly didn't know how I felt, after witnessing that. On one hand, I was livid. This human girl enjoyed the forcefulness the guy exerted. She consented to his touch, ached for it, _loved_ it. I felt a lump in my throat rise as I thought about the laboratory that I escaped from. No one was willing in there, no one wanted the advances that occurred daily. Yet, here is this human girl, enjoying every second of what was happening. On the other hand, I was concerned. _Why would she subject herself to something like that? I understand very well that it is something special with a mate, but to give herself to anyone?_

I made sure I was away from people went I broke my stealth. Things weren't adding up to me from these two perfect strangers that wanted to have a good time tonight. On top of that, I was worried about how I would break the news to the team, and if they would be fine without me in the Dark Tournament. I wandered aimlessly around until I spotted Hiei leaning up against a tree. I began to walk over to him when a loud, BANG! BANG! BANG! filled the air. I immediately dropped to the ground and began to army crawl towards Hiei as the bangs boomed in the sky. His face lit up, with shades of blue and green that came from the sky. I rolled over in time to witness a bright burst of orange fill the sky. I could hear Hiei chuckling as I stared up at him in shock with my mouth open.

"Don't laugh at me!" I yelled, battling the booms in the sky.

"They're called fireworks." he said, appearing next to me in a crouching position.

"They're sky explosions! We have to stop them!" I said urgently, sitting myself up.

"The humans like them. There's nothing to stop."

"They...like them? Why?" I flinched as another BANG sounded off, closing my eyes.

"Because they make images in the sky with them. Look."

I opened my eyes and looked up. Several beams of light shot straight up in the sky, and one at a time, began to explode in a rainbow of colors. It was like a tree that had red, purple, pink, orange, green, blue and yellow leaves. Next, it looked like a huge fireball was descending until it faded away and more fireworks went up.

Hiei's POV

Of course Natsumi wouldn't know about fireworks. The minute the first one went up in the air, I watched her instincts take over her as she dropped to the ground. I normally can keep whatever my urges are in check, but this was not one of those times. I felt my lips crack into a smirk, then a grin, before laughter erupted from me. It took a great deal of effort to make it sound like a chuckle, but I did it. After crouching next to her, and telling her to look at the sky, I got a whiff of that sweet peachy smell. Natsumi's face lit up with the different colors of the fireworks, her eyes wide with awe. That's when I felt her scoot over and lean her weight on me. I smirked and looked up at the sky,watching the firework show with her. In this moment, I felt I had everything in the world. Natsumi probably will never realize how much I've grown to allow, no, want her presence around me. The finale was about to come, the fireworks lit up the entire night sky, and I looked down to see two beautiful blue eyes looking up at me.

Natsumi's POV

The last of the fireworks were about to launch and I didn't want to see them. I looked up at Hiei and smiled, as he seemed to be enjoying the show. He looked down at me and a flash of my dream seemed to play before my eyes instead of my mind. I turned so I was on my knees, face to face with Hiei. I tackled him to the ground, entwining my left hand with his right hand and turning my head to kiss him. The last of the firework boomed and there was clapping and cheering in the distance. I pulled away and looked down at Hiei's expression. His eyes were wide and he was unmoving. Figuring he obviously didn't appreciate my advance I began to get up, taking my left hand out of his right. His right hand squeezed my left and I was pulled down to meet his lips. Our kiss felt like fire, hungrily exploring and taking control of our mouths, searing our lips before stopping to get air, the reality that we were more than what we both wanted to admit to each other set in.

I lowered myself so I was at his left side, still holding his right hand with my left.

"I can't come with you to the Dark Tournament tomorrow."

"I know."

"I'm sorry." I lowered my eyes.

"Do what you must."

"I'll come as soon as I can, I promise." I smiled, my cheeks softly brushing against his side.

I felt him stiffen before releasing my hand and rolling away and jumping into the tree above me.

I sat up and saw two figures approaching and knew it was Kurama and Kuwabara. I sat upright and watched them walk over.

"Hey Natsumi! Did you see the fireworks?" Kuwabara called.

"Yeah! I sure did!" I called back, smiling and waving.

"How did you like the finale?" Kurama inquired.

Kurama's question felt like it had a double meaning. I began to wonder if I was seen... "I didn't see it." I said honestly.

A slight smirk begged to tug at Kurama's lips. "Oh? Why's that?"

"I don't like goodbyes." I stood up and dusted myself off, giving a wry smile to Kurama and Kuwabara.

A portal appeared and I went through it, not bothering to say anything more.

In my room, I began packing all the things I would need as I readied myself to find Keisuke. I was bitter about the whole situation, I **did** want to fight in the tournament after all. Keisuke knew the way to get to me would be through the people I now considered to be in my clan, a part of my family. My anger rose as I thought about the dream. Keisuke will pay for threatening my clan. The last of my armor was donned, I pulled the hood over my hair. I left a brief note saying I will meet up with them on Hanging Neck Island as soon as I handle my business. An apology for bailing last minute, and a demand that everyone stay alive. I opened my door and strode out, into the corridor, down the hall and to the training grounds. After finding the portal, I jumped inside, intent on releasing myself from Keisuke.


	10. Chapter 10

Hiei's POV

_I was caught completely off-guard when Natsumi tackled me to the ground. I felt the soft grass cushion me falling to my back, and Natsumi's left hand pinning my right hand down. Her scent surrounded me, that refreshing citrus smell that I've grown fond of. _I sighed. _That kiss...Our kiss. _In my mind, I felt a number of feelings and emotions well up from deep where I buried them years ago. _Longing. Acceptance. Desire. Trust. _I stopped at that last thought, giving a smirk to the shadows.

Natsumi had run off into the portal, leaving Kurama and Kuwabara. I jumped down from the tree I was in.

"What the heck is her problem?" Kuwabara wondered aloud.

"She's not coming with us." I informed the two.

"Is everything alright between-" Kurama began.

"SHE'S NOT COMING?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S NOT COMING?" Kuwabara yelled in a panic. "She NEEDS to come, she's our fifth!" Kuwabara continued to angrily rant on why Natsumi needs to participate in the upcoming event.

"_She has personal business that needs attending to."_ I told Kurama telepathically.

Kurama nodded, making Kuwabara stop mid-sentence to observe what would happen next.

"It seems we should all get home so that we may rest for tomorrow."

"When I see Natsumi, Oh! I'm giving her a piece of my thoughts!" Kuwabara declared as he spun on his heel and walked back towards the festival.

"These secrets of yours continue to pile, don't they?" Kurama asked me, grinning.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I countered, crossing my arms across my chest.

"Then why even pretend you weren't with her during the show?"

"What did you see, exactly?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes.

"I didn't see anything." Kurama smiled with mock innocence. "It's what I can smell. And she's all over you, as you were on her."

I sighed. There was no point in denying what the fox had said.

Kurama chuckled. "No death threats about if word gets out?"

"Spirit world is well informed on us. I would prefer it if the humans are not."

Kurama coughed and stood straight. "You know, eventually, they will pick up on it."

The portal began to waver, I nodded a farewell to Kurama, and jumped through the closing portal.

The portal took me into Koenma's office, where Koenma was livid upon learning Natsumi wasn't going to be fighting in the tournament.

"What do you mean she left?!" Koenma yelled.

"I-I don't know, Sir! All that was in her room was a note." George wailed.

"How did she get out? None of my spirit agents made a portal for her!"

"Koenma, Sir!" Henry's voice called out.

"THIS HAD BETTER BE IMPORTANT HENRY!" Koenma's agitation spiked.

"There is a slight portal in the training grounds!" Henry reported.

"Oh! Maybe she took that one then, Sir!" George smiled down at his boss.

"Why is there a random portal to demon world in my back yard?! Somebody better start explaining themselves! You three! Close it up! Now!" Koenma barked out orders. "Hiei!"

I stopped in front of the door that was my escape. Inhaling a breath, I turned to face Koenma.

"Do you know anything about Natsumi leaving?"

I nodded.

Koenma took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down.

"Can you tell me anything more about her, 'handling her business'?"

"It seems to me that she has clearly explained why she left." I replied. I turned back to the door and opened it, disappearing from Koenma's tantrum.

From one of the trees I was sitting in, I watched as the three ogres were closing the portal to demon world. The portal wavered, blinking feebly as it struggled against the powerful magic of the ogres. In one final attempt, the portal expanded against the ogres' magic, only to shatter into a million pieces of stardust. The ogres cheered, gathered their belongings and headed into the complex. Once I was alone, I jumped off of the tree and landed where the portal used to be. Looking down at the ground, my right arm began to throb. The Dragon was getting restless, and he too, knew that Natsumi and the Phoenix were long gone by now.

Natsumi's POV

"_Are you sure we are going the correct way?" _I expressed my concern to Phoenix.

"_I would assume he purposefully let the location be known."_ Phoenix reasoned.

"_He also showed me where we used to live."_ I reminded her.

"_I believe that will be the next stop. If he truly doesn't want you to participate in the tournament, he has to have a plan that will make you lose precious time getting back to the team."_

"_Damn that Keisuke._ _Are we getting close?"_

"_Just a little bit more." _Phoenix encouraged me.

I continued keeping my running pace, my surroundings were nothing more than blurs as I ran past them. My heart felt heavy, and I did my best to not think about why. My right leg buckled and I fell, skidding a few feet on my face, hands and knees against the grainy sand. I growled at myself for being careless. I picked myself up and dusted myself off. I looked off in the distance and saw that the building in the sand from my dream was there. I began to sprint in the building's direction, my mind focused on what lie beyond the doors.

I stopped a few feet from the wooden doors. Splinters protruded from the sides, the rest of the door worn from the sandstorms that frequented the area. I looked behind me, the sun was beginning to rise in the sky. I exhaled a breath and closed my eyes as I imagined team Urameshi meeting each other, and the banter that would ensue. Opening my eyes, I straightened myself up and pushed open the doors to this building. The doors protested then groaned, slamming open on the sides of the walls, the sound echoing down the halls. I confidently walked inside and looked around, noticing how desolate the place was. Walking further down the hall, I heard a soft **click, **and I jumped backwards. I whirled around, armed with my daggers, to strike my opponent. _Nothing_. I narrowed my eyes, and spun around again to strike. _Still nothing._ _Wait. What's that smell?_ My keen sense of smell picked up a scent I wasn't familiar with. When in doubt, conclude that it's poisonous and get out as quickly as one can. I looked up, to the left and to the right, searching for an alternate way to proceed through what feels like a maze. _Of course I'd have to go straight through._ I tightened my cowl and began to sprint down the hall, going deeper into this mysterious building.

I stopped running as soon as I spotted a hall that had three different passageways attached to it, the middle one with a locked door. I went over to the locked door and inspected the lock, realizing that there was no way to pick the lock as it had two circular pockets where the keys would go.

"_What do you think would be the best direction?"_ I asked Phoenix.

Phoenix concentrated her energy on the passageways. _"I believe you have to go left, then right, to go through this middle one."_

"_Okay. Let's do this."_ I turned to the left and began walking down the hallway. My senses were on full alert, and I made sure that I was diligent in noticing suspicious patterns in the floor and walls. After what seemed like some time, I finally had reached the end of the hall, with one door open. I went into stealth, and entered.

"Nooo! That's not good manners! You don't come in MY room!" a hoarse voice yelled.

I stopped in my tracks and looked around the dimly lit room to see who was talking. Then, something hit me. Hard. My stealth broke and I flew across to the other side of the room and hit my back against the wall. I looked down to see what had hit me. It was a skull to some enormous animal, like an elephant or rhinoceros. I looked up, and a giant demon goat-man with nine red eyes were looking down at me.

"You don't come in my room!" the demon yelled again, stamping his front hooves. I bolted to the right to avoid the shockwaves the goat-man was making. I drew out my daggers and began my attack from behind, stabbing the demon in various nerves and muscles, intent on being victorious in battle. A left back kick sent me flying backwards, and once again I found myself with my back against the wall. _I think I felt a rib crack. _I crumpled to the ground, coughing and holding my right ribs. I picked my head up to see the goat-man on his hind legs, and his front legs coming down for another massive shockwave. I couldn't move. The shockwave rocked my body with such force, I was stunned for a good three seconds. A punch came, and I was lying on my stomach. I rolled over on my left side and hastily got up. With my daggers ready, I charged for the goat-man, failing to knock him back. I used my speed to run and flip off of a wall to land on the goat-man's back. Slamming my daggers into his back, I began to use my demon energy to burn him. The goat-man screeched in pain, and began to run around his room, sending flying back kicks and stomps to shake me loose. I gritted my teeth as I held tightly to my daggers, my vision going black every time my right ribs hit his back. After what seemed like forever, the demon froze and fell over with a loud **thud**. I yanked my daggers from his back and jumped down, stumbling for a few moments as I put my daggers away and held my right side. I walked over to the goat-man's head and noticed a necklace that was circular. I cut the cord the necklace was on and grabbed the watermelon-sized medallion. I then walked over to a side of the room the goat man wasn't near and laid down the necklace, as well as myself, my left hand holding on to my right side. I concentrated on my demon energy healing anything that was bruised or broken. _I have to be a lot more careful _I thought, as I got up once I had healed myself. I picked up the oversized necklace and made my way back to the hallway that had the door in the middle.

I placed the necklace on the left side of the middle door, it fitting perfectly into place. I looked over to my right, and began to calculate the possibilities of what, or who, was waiting for me. My mind began to wander...no, it felt like it was being pulled into another direction beyond my control. I resisted, focusing myself on the task I had to do; walk into the right corridor and get the other piece "key" to unlock the middle door. I took a step forward, before stopping in my tracks.

Koenma's POV

_Why, did Natsumi have to leave us? _I pouted to myself, sitting defeated in my chair and sullenly watching the live event on the boat that took team Urameshi to Hanging neck island.

"Alright, Koenma-sir, who's this new fighter they've got on their team now, huh?" George asked.

"Beats me." I closed my eyes and let out a long breath.

"You can tell me, Sir! I keep good secrets!" George grinned, thinking I knew the true identity of the masked fighter.

I opened up my eyes and looked at George. "I honestly don't know." my answer was clipped. _It would have been Natsumi, had she not decided to take care of business the day before the Dark Tournament_. I thought bitterly.

George gasped. "But, I thought you were the official owner of team Urameshi!"

"Well, yes, technically speaking."

"And you don't know its members?!" George exploded.

The stress was getting to me. I had so many mixed emotions about work, the Dark Tournament, and Natsumi leaving, everything spilled out of me. "No! No one bothers to tell me anything!" I wailed, hot tears dripping from my eyes. I couldn't believe why all of this had to happen. Natsumi was a promising fighter, and most importantly, a killer. I held her life in my hands, and yet she still slipped between my fingers like sand. Natsumi's background file informed me about the Shattered Skull clan, how her early life was lived...and it's extremely barbaric. However, there was many things I knew I could count on her for, the most prominent being her ruthlessness in battle. _Oh, why did you have to abandon us now, Natsumi?_

George had to ruin my tantrum and say something stupid, but it snapped me back into getting a report from Botan. I shoved away my thoughts and got to work on my Chief Administrator paperwork, only taking breaks when absolutely necessary.

Natsumi's POV

_A...vision...?_

_An angry horde of demons surrounded Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara. _

"_Hey, what's this?" Kuwabara asked, hunching his back in a defensive stance._

"_You really think we care about fighting by the rules?" one demon spoke out._

"_There's only one way to find the best team on this boat." another demon chimed in._

"_Wouldn't you know?" Kuwabara began._

"_I think they stole my idea. We'll have to make them pay very dearly for that." Hiei said_

"_Of course." Kurama agreed. _

_There was another fighter, with a mask of bandages on their head. _I gasped. _I'd know that petite frame anywhere. But I thought that Genkai wanted nothing more to do with the Tournament..._

I blinked a few times and looked around. I was still by the middle door in this building. I shook my head and pressed onward down the right hall, ready to face what was behind the door at the end of the hall. As I approached the door, I spotted healthy, green foliage. _How odd. Green and in a desert?_I narrowed my eyes and pushed open the door. The door slammed open and I went into stealth and entered the room.

An oasis was before my very eyes. The lush green plants danced as a slight breeze caressed them. The water was clear and sparkly, flowing graciously in a never-ending stream. I could hear the birds in the air, the fishes in the water, and _something_ breathing. Loud, heavy snores rang throughout this odd room. I ventured deeper into the oasis, fighting a sensory overload from all the sounds and smells.

"_Be careful, something isn't right here."_ Phoenix warned.

I agreed. Something wasn't right. Phoenix came into my consciousness, seeing through my eyes. We scanned our surroundings together, on high alert. I heard a popping sound near me, so I moved away from the area I was in. More popping noises came.

"_To err on the side of caution..."_ Phoenix began.

"_Or to burn this all down to the ground." _I finished, breaking my stealth and giving a smirk.

I felt Phoenix's power intertwine with my own as we controlled our energy to create a massive fireball and then hurl it towards the center of the oasis. The fireball exploded, fire sparks flew and devoured anything they landed on. Small, acorn- like shadows began to emerge from the ground.

"No wake! No wake!" high pitched chanting started to increase in volume as more of the acorn-like beings appeared.

I dashed to another side of the room, and began to count how many little beings there were. I lost track at 30, as some came behind me and I moved out of the way. I created two fireballs, one for each hand, and shot them at the cluster approaching me. The small beings screeched in agony as my fires scorched their skins, evaporating any water that the tiny beings possessed. Their death wails fueled me as I continued my fiery onslaught. I felt my adrenaline rush as I submitted to my demonic tendencies. I danced around the room, stopping in the middle to admire my destruction. The room was charred black, no signs of life present. I grinned and began to search the room for the other "key." I searched up high and down low, and still came up with nothing. My victory rush began to decline as irritation set in. _Where is this other piece? _I tapped my right foot impatiently as I went over all the places that I checked in my head. My thoughts were interrupted as my ears picked up on pitter-patter like steps. I turned to my left and saw the scorched bodies of the acorn people rising and clustering together, creating one giant acorn being.

This new being, stood about eight feet tall, slender with the acorn knobs facing outwards, like a barrier.

"I was told to be expecting a guest." the creature started.

"Sorry, I forgot my handwritten invitation at home." I smirked.

"The Master wants you to prove your worth in His sanctum." the creature said. He then inhaled and a gargling sound could be heard.

In the next moment, a huge wad of green goo came straight towards me.

"UGH! Gross!" I yelled as I dodged to the right, not wanting to get caught in the green mess. The green goo landed with a sickening **plop** and little spurts flew out upon impact. A small gob of goo landed on the outside of my left thigh. There was a sizzling sound that accompanied the horrible stench. The goo had melted my armor and was currently burning my thigh. I quickly used the back of my left wrist guard to wipe the goo off of me. I ignored the throbbing pain and continued to move as a vine was heading towards me.

"You might feel a little a little burning sensation." the creature laughed.

"Huh, I was about to tell you the same thing." I said, as I approached the creature's head and began to slice at his face, my daggers cloaked in my demon fire. A gnarled hand came up to swat me away but I was faster. I darted to the left, and strafed to the right, being a blur to this creature as I stabbed it in various places. My daggers weren't causing any damage to my opponent and its laughter instigated my anger. Shoving my daggers in their sheaths, I began to focus Phoenix's and my energy for fire attacks instead.

The fight was long and arduous. My body ached as this creature and I were still trading blows with one another. I was beginning to lose confidence in myself as my fight continued. _How long have I been fighting this thing? _That thought cost me one second that I could have used to defend a left hook.

"_We must defeat this monster soon, Natsumi." _Phoenix said in a strained voice.

"_Nothing is working! I'm trying!" _I struggled to keep my composure, but it was obvious the stress of this battle was wearing on me.

"_Allow me to take care of this. Rest now." _

Before I could say anything, Phoenix took complete control of my body, and I had blacked out.

_I rolled over and gasped. My body felt tender and singed. Everything is black. What time is it right now? Are the guys safe in their hotel room? Are they going to watch the first fight? I tried clearing my throat and all that I managed to do was grunt. Purple swirls appeared and began to make a portal. The only thing I could see was the purple swirly frame. A blinding light. I squeezed my eyes shut._

"_I thought I would show you the highlights of today so far." Keisuke's voice echoed._

"_It must be nice to be there in person." I grumbled._

_Keisuke laughed. "I would have you here, but that would ruin the plan."_

"_What plan is that?" I opened my eyes and squinted from the bright light._

_I didn't get an answer from Keisuke. Instead, I watched as I could see Koenma and George meet up with Botan, Keiko and Shizuru. The vision shifted to the center stage, Team Rokuyukai against Team Urameshi. I recognized Zeru as he stepped up to Kuwabara, talking about the terms of the fight. After the terms were settled, Zeru began emitting his fire energy, it swarming around him. The portal allowed me to see my team's reaction to Zeru's display of power. Hiei's face... he had already decided who he wanted to fight. Zeru's energy shot out towards my team and encircled them in fire for a few seconds before getting directed to the audience. Zeru held a bored expression with a hint of amusement as the screams of the audience being incinerated were the only interesting thing to happen. Rinku walked ahead of the team, choosing to go first, Kuwabara saying something along the lines of this fight was his. I watched as it looked like Kuwabara was just standing there, taking hits from Rinku. There was no denying that the little demon had amazing acrobatic maneuvers, although for me, Rinku's speed was slow. Kuwabara was having a difficult time keeping track of Rinku's movements at first, but then saw Rinku's energy trail. With one solid punch, Kuwabara hit Rinku on top of his head. Rinku tumbled on the ground a few times, landing on his face and stomach in the ring. Rinku picked himself up and Kuwabara delivered another solid punch to Rinku's jaw. Rinku attempted to pick himself up, only to land on his bottom. Rinku finally got himself off of the ground and charged. A right hook from Kuwabara landed in the center of Rinku's body. I felt a burst of pride as I witnessed for once, Kuwabara would win a fight against a demon. However, that all changed when Rinku dodged another punch from Kuwabara and darted behind him. Rinku landed a swift kick to Kuwabara's head, making Kuwabara fall to the ground. Well, so much for Kuwabara winning. I exhaled loudly and pouted, furrowing my eyebrows together as I continued watching the fight. The announcer cautiously walked over to Kuwabara's body and began the count. The count was up to 6 and still no movement. At count 8 Kuwabara finally got up. Rinku pulled some weird circular objects from his pouch and placed them on his fingers. I had no idea what they were, but assumed they were Rinku's weapons as his eyes glowed red and his demon energy had spiked. Kuwabara surprised me when he had summoned two spirit swords. I wrinkled my nose and began to ponder when Kuwabara learned to wield two swords. At any rate, I was slightly impressed at his spirit energy control. Ultimately though, he lost to Rinku, after deciding to harass Yusuke for saying something in his sleep.. At least Kuwabara wasn't killed. I growled in frustration that Kuwabara lost the first match over something that was preventable._

_The second match began with Roto and Kurama walking into the arena. Roto's right hand turned into a scythe-like weapon and he charged for Kurama. Kurama easily avoided all of the attacks, barely using any of his energy to do so. Kurama was behind Roto, ready to give the final blow when...HE HALTED?! No...why would Kurama hesitate to kill? I remember that Hiei, Kurama and I had discussed that in the Dark Tournament, our opponents will not be alive. So why, did he pause? I clenched my teeth as Kurama got cut on the left side of his face. I couldn't make out what Roto was saying, but Kurama looked like he had given up the fight. Roto mercilessly punched Kurama multiple times in the face. Kurama flicked a pebble and it hit Roto on his cheek. Kurama folding his arms behind his back. What in the hell is going on? Roto kicked Kurama in the stomach, saying something. More punches ensued. My breathing became rapid as I was holding myself back from saying anything Keisuke could use against me. "Just fight back already.." I pleaded quietly to the portal. More talking that I couldn't understand. And then, I saw it. A tiny sprouted plant that protruded from Roto's heart. Kurama began to walk away, and Roto's body was torn to pieces by the plants that rapidly bloomed from within him. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding in. At least we're even now. Team Urameshi could still win this. _

"_...Phoenix?" _

"_Yes?"_

"_What's happening?"_

"_There was a gas that was being leaked into the room the entire time we were fighting that..thing. Although, I admit, we were probably knocked out for several hours if we are watching day one of the Dark Tournament."_

_I turned my attention back to the portal. Zeru had stepped into the arena. I watched as I was anticipating seeing Hiei fight. I knew how hard he had trained and I knew that he could easily beat Zeru. As soon as the announcer gave the go, Zeru raised his spirit energy and made it swirl around him. It pushed back the poor girl that was attempting to ref the fight. Hiei stood his ground, unaffected by Zeru's power. Zeru increased his power, forcing Kuwabara and Kurama to step back, the masked fighter shielded some of the audience while the rest were torched. Zeru created a fireball and hurled it towards Hiei. Hiei easily moved out of its way. More fireballs were coming towards him, and he continued to avoid being hit. Zeru yelled as his energy spiked once more. Zeru's skin began to change color, from a pale flesh to a bright red. Zeru charged and made contact with Hiei. I bit my tongue to not utter a sound. The metallic taste rolled off of my tongue and down my throat as I watched a fireball hit Hiei while he was still in the air. I didn't want to believe this was the end of the fight. Hiei landed on his back inside the arena. No..damn it...no. You've worked too damn hard to be beaten by this jackass..._

Hiei's POV

"_Just what do you think you are trying to accomplish?" _Dragon was taunting me.

_I ignored the question as I let myself get hit by Zeru. I played along, flying up in the air and even allowed Zeru's weak fireball hit me. My heart felt a twinge as I landed on my back. I saw and felt a faint, strange white light envelop me. Somehow, I was rapidly healing, any wounds that I had incurred were gone within seconds. The light faded as quickly as it had come._

"That fight wasn't a long one, but when you've got scorching moves like Zeru's, a little goes a long way!" Koto exclaimed.

"Yes. So talented. I'm reluctant to make the kill." I stated as I got up and released my demon energy. Flames surrounded me and I smirked at Zeru's expression.

"How...could you?" Zeru asked in disbelief.

My jagan eye burned through my bandana. "I believe we covered that. So my jagan eye may not be natural, but it does give me exactly what I need!" I raised my demon energy and combined it with the energy of my jagan eye. "Dragon of the Darkness Flame!" I called as I summoned the Dragon from within me to my right hand. The sky began to darken and the weather was unpredictable. My adrenaline was pumping and I was eager to prove that I am the Dragon's master.

"You know, it's impossible to control it completely. Once I release it, I have no say." I casually said. "I have the power to pull you into oblivion. I assume just my right arm will do." I smirked at Zeru's horrified face. "You should have never insulted the jagan eye. Because you see, in way it has its own mind, and loathes disrespect. Resisting it is not something I would do." My body was pulsing with energy as I increased my energy to fuel Dragon's power.

"_This power is sufficient. Very well, I shall obliterate this opponent."_

"Dragon of the Darkness Flame!" I yelled.

Dragon erupted from my arm and locked onto Zeru as his target. I could hear Dragon's roaring laughter as he fed on Zeru's fear. After a few seconds, Dragon retreated back inside of me. I stood in the arena, stunned from the pain I felt as Dragon burrowed inside of my arm. I didn't feel the pain when I had summoned Dragon out for the fight, due to my adrenaline. Once the fight was over though, I felt how my bones and muscles were affected. And then feeling Dragon push his way back inside my arm...it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

"_It could have been pure luck you had the energy to harness me."_ Dragon scoffed.

"_If only Natsumi were here to see your accomplishment, right?"_ a foreign voice came into my mind.

I felt eyes on me and I looked up to see a tall demon wearing a skull. I narrowed my eyes as I recalled his face from Natsumi's nightmares. _How did he get past my mind barrier? _I concentrated on improving my mind barrier with the little energy I had left. _I should kill him for having the gall to violate my thoughts. _I turned and began to walk out of the arena. I got a glance at the crowd and noticed that Keiko and Kuwabara's sister were in some seats. _As troublesome as it would be, I would prefer to have Natsumi here._ I overheard Kuwabara panicking about if I wanted to be the "bad guy" again.

"Don't worry fool. We've entered into an alliance and I'm not the type to break it. Of course, after we win the Tournament I can't guarantee a thing." I smirked. The Dragon had shuffled around in my arm and I let out an involuntary gasp. I continued keeping my stride of walking. I could feel Kurama looking at me, perhaps worried or curious, at this point, I couldn't care less. I know I needed to rest soon but I wasn't about to show my weakness. I took my spot standing next to Kurama as a drunken fighter climbed onto and in the arena. Kuwabara was expressing his concern for the new fighter. _The fool may be right. Something is foul. Even when he killed his team mates I couldn't feel his strength. _I clenched my hands into fists inside my pockets as another wave of pain wracked through my right arm. I closed my eyes briefly. _He's here Natsumi. _Another twinge in my chest, and a feeling of familiar cold hands on my right arm lasted for just a second. I noticed Kurama intently looking at me, so I turned my head and focused on Yusuke's fight with Chu.

Natsumi's POV

"_I want you to. Please help him. I'm fine." _I reassured Phoenix.

I gasped as I sat upright from the ground I had passed out on. This feeling...it was painful to say the least. I gritted my teeth as it felt like my soul was being burned away from itself, intense temperatures of burning heat and freezing cold. I squirmed and rolled on the ground trying to regulate my breathing through this process. My body still felt like I had stood in the sun for about a thousand years, and my muscles constricted and contracted from Phoenix's energy leaving me. Phoenix had educated me about how in her fight with Dragon, they marked the others' host and the perks it came with.

"_So I'm marked by the Dragon?"_

"_And Hiei is marked by me."_

"_I'm not understanding what this means or how this works."_

"_Think of it as a way to keep an eye out on the other."_

"_I know you can heal, but what can Dragon do?"_

"_Harm."_

"_Harm? Harm?! How thoughtful."_

"_Everything is cyclical, Natsumi. The universe, galaxies, time, seasons, age - all of that continues to spin around. Without harm, there can be no healing. Without healing, there would be no harm. We are the beginning and the end of everything. You and Hiei are the same way. What one lacks, the other will make up for."_

_I sighed. "Well we can help heal Hiei from using Dragon's technique."_

"_There is a slight price for wanting to use your power for the other."_

"_What's the catch?"_

"_You sacrifice my present power to heal him."_

"_That doesn't sound too bad. You do regain your power back with time, right?"_

"_That is correct."_

"_Great! Let's heal him."_

"_Natsumi, do you understand what you are asking?"_

I continued to roll on the ground in agony. Finally, the pain ceased. I flung myself on my back and inhaled as much air as I could. I closed my eyes and an image of Hiei's burnt arm appeared. I remembered how much pain he was in and how he did his best to hide it from me. _I'm constantly being healed. It's not fair that he always has to experience pain. _I opened my eyes and slowly got up off of the ground. I felt an emptiness inside, something that I hadn't felt since joining Yusuke's team. Phoenix was in the depths of my consciousness, resting. I didn't realize how much power we had used to defeat our last opponent. Now, there was only an inkling of Phoenix's power, and she would need at least several days before she could fight alongside me. I knew it wasn't a sound decision but for the sake of Team Urameshi winning the Tournament, I will sacrifice whatever I can. I searched the room for the other key and came up with nothing. I looked at my fallen foe and noticed one eye was different from the other. I walked over to the corpse and with both hands, grabbed the different eye and began to pull on it. The eye popped out with a sickening sound, and more green goo splattered on my armor, arms and face. I angrily yelped in pain as I dropped the key and began frantically wiping off my face, arms and armor. The goo had melted most of my armor, and burn marks covered the bottom part of my face where my cowl had been. I tore off my chest piece with ease and the majority of my pants. I took what was left of my cowl and wrapped it around my chest. My daggers didn't have sheaths anymore, so I placed them in my boots, my main dagger in my left boot, my right dagger in my right boot. I looked down at the key and sighed. Of course I would drop it in the pile of goo. I bundled the leather remains of my armor, picked up the key and sprinted for the middle door. I could feel the leather melting and burning my hands. Ten seconds had never felt so slow. I shoved the key into its place next to the other key and sighed. I turned my hands, palms facing up to assess the damage. Blisters were beginning to form and I exhaled a breath of frustration. I kicked the middle door open and peered inside. It looked like an empty hallway. I bent down and retrieved my daggers from my boots before proceeding into the hallway. Old spiderwebs decorated the sides of the walls as I walked further down. I finally came upon a door, when I heard the middle one with the keys slam shut.

"What in the-" I started.

Hundreds upon hundreds of spiders, sand scarabs and desert worms poured out from the cracks of the walls, a thick black/brown cloud of insects rushing towards me. I held my spot and began to summon my demon energy around me, creating a spinning wheel of fire. The insects were burned away before they could touch me, but more kept coming to take their place. I placed my daggers in my boots and prepared to run.

"COME GET IT THEN!" I roared as I began to run down the hallway back to the middle door, engulfed in my demon fire. I arrived at the middle door and pulled on it. It wouldn't budge. The insects were coming in fast, and a few had crawled up my legs and began to chew. I swatted them off of me and again summoned my demon fire. My legs were dripping fresh blood and the insect swarm became frenzied. They kept coming. Just like the army of demons from that cat demon. No Hiei, no Dragon and no Phoenix to help me out of this predicament. I remembered my training with Genkai and how I had to keep the machine a certain temperature while Yusuke trained. Once again engulfed in my fire, I ran to the middle of the hallway and unleashed my power, sending fire all along the floor, and the sides of the hallway. I concentrated to keeping my fire the same temperature all through the hall. I didn't cease my fire until I couldn't see anymore of the flesh eating insects. I cautiously lowered my flames, hearing another **click**. I dashed to the other door that was at the end of the hallway and discovered it was open. I instantly went into stealth and crept inside. Plants, alchemy jars, and test tubes were some of the many things that were scattered about in the room. It looked like someone had already had a fight in here as papers were stepped on, torn and shredded throughout the room. I was standing in the middle of the room, searching for clues on what might have happened. I didn't notice that I wasn't alone in the room. A kick to my back sent me flying forward and broke my stealth as I crashed against a bookcase. I ducked down and rolled to the right, getting my daggers from my boots and avoiding another attack.

"Your decision to come down here and play was an unwise one." a male voice spoke. The sound of this voice was deep yet soft, very pleasing to my ears. I disappeared and reappeared to the other side of the room, and a tall male dressed in a suit was standing where I had previously been. His long white hair covered most of his striking orange eyes, although they were gleaming with amusement.

"Seems I'm making a lot of them recently." I said, as I used my speed to move again. My right arm was caught in this man's iron grip and I swung with my left fist in hopes to hit this mysterious man. The man squeezed my arm and released his grip, blocking my left punch. My right arm began to throb as my blood started coming out of what looked like a puncture wound. I darted to another side of the room, but the man was faster than I. A right hook had the wind knocked out of me, a kick from behind had me on my hands and knees on the ground. I was kneed on my left side and I rolled onto my back. There he was, on top of me, his right hand squeezing my neck, his white hair cascaded down elegantly, creating a white barrier that I couldn't see the surroundings. I turned my focus back to his orange eyes, the amusement replaced with satisfaction of catching his prey.

"Your heart is beating so fast." he murmured as he smirked down at me. "You smell absolutely delicious. I can see why so many are after you now." He bent his head down to where the puncture wound on my right arm was. I felt his lips brush against where my arm throbbed. I shuddered as I felt his tongue sample some of my blood. _Just a little bit more energy._ _I can do this._

"So sweet. Your fear mixed with hatred." he lifted his head ever so slightly to say that before inhaling the scent of my blood. I summoned my energy to make a fire dagger in my left hand and I thrust my blade in the man's right ribs, piercing his lungs. I screamed out as he bit into my wound, I could feel him draining me of my blood. His right hand pressed down and squeezed my neck cutting off my air. My eyes grew wide as I felt him feasting on my right arm. Every bite he took felt like a thousand poisoned daggers stabbing me. I repeatedly began punching his stab would with my left hand, using my willpower to fight blacking out. My last punch landed and I could hear his ribs crack. He jumped off of me and I gasped for air. I looked around, trying to see where he went. I grabbed my right arm with my left hand and held it tightly, trying to stop the bleeding and the pain. A shooting pain shot up from my arm to my gums. _What the heck? _Without thinking, I took my left hand off of my right arm and held my mouth. The pain increased and I cried out, my canine teeth feeling extreme pressure. My mouth began bleed and my normal canine teeth turned into fangs.

"NOO!" I yelled, my cry echoing throughout the building before submitting myself to the darkness.

At the Dark Tournament

Yusuke and Chu agreed to a knife-edge death match, but Koto had to make sure it was allowed by the committee. In the VIP seating, Sakyo, Toguro and the other millionaires eagerly watched the committee's decision. A large X appeared on the board.

"The tournament committee must be out of its mind!" exclaimed one millionaire.

Younger Toguro waited until Sakyo was in earshot. "What should I do?" the demon asked.

"Oh. Nothing. Is your gang – have your esteemed colleagues arrived at their destination yet, Toguro?" Sakyo quickly corrected himself.

"I have no idea, Mr. Sakyo." the younger Toguro admitted.

"Hm." was all Sakyo said before continuing to walk out of the VIP room.

Sakyo walked down a flight of stairs, and turned to the right where he was face to collar bone with Keisuke. Sakyo nodded and Keisuke had opened a shadow portal, allowing Sakyo to lead before following him in.

"How is our little fire bird's adventure coming along?" Sakyo asked as he walked around, looking through the different portals Keisuke had open.

"It's proving difficult for her." Keisuke reported.

"Oh?" a smirk tugged at Sakyo's lips. "Yet she wanted to fight in this tournament?"

"Something is not correct, Sir. It seems she lost much of her energy and I don't understand how." Keisuke led Sakyo to a portal that was distanced away from the others. Sakyo peered inside, watching from when Natsumi first arrived at the building.

"I'll watch our little fire bird and her adventure. In the meantime,I need you to politely change the committee's mind."

"Of course, Sir."

"Keep my portal open, I shouldn't be too long, unless she's that entertaining."

Keisuke clenched his jaw underneath the skull he was wearing. He nodded and bowed his head leaving an open portal for Sakyo to exit and then created a portal to the committee's room for himself.

The committee did not readily agree to repeal their decision at Keisuke's request. As the crowd waited in anticipation, the X was removed from the big screen. The wind began to pick up and storm clouds were rolling in. Lightening began to strike, and two bolts happened to hit the two daggers that were in the fighting arena, electrifying them. The crowd began grumbling and booing, wanting to see the fight between Yusuke and Chu. Unbeknownst to all, it was Keisuke's power that caused the storm to roll in as he showed the committee no mercy in the committee room. After interrogating each member with brute force and his shadow manipulation, Keisuke was able to get the committee's approval of an O on the big screen.

Spot lights shone down and Yusuke and Chu began throwing punches left and right. The fight was very even, both fighters were delivering and receiving significant blows to their bodies. The crowd was enthralled, not able to take their eyes off of the brutal fist fight. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, watching to see who would go down for this fight. The cheering and chanting grew louder and louder as the fight continued on.

Meanwhile, a shadowy figure walked along the darker hallway, reserved for those who possess a security pass. Two guards attempted to take this mysterious figure down, only to end up as piles of dust from the bombs the stranger planted on them. The figure continued to make his way to the VIP seating room, where he was greeted by the younger Toguro.

"Please, Karasu. You've got a long while before it's your time to fight."

"I heard there was a fighter that might actually be worth my time."

"You mean Urameshi?"

"I wanted to see what all the fuss was about."

"That's him fighting down there now."

"So I've been watching."

"And? What do you think?"

Karasu kept his silence, and continued to watch the fight in the VIP room with the younger Toguro.

Sakyo's POV

I couldn't contain my excitement watching the little demon girl struggling for her life. As the portal informed me that she was still currently unconscious, I took Keisuke's portal, where I ended up back at the flight of stairs. My thoughts were filled with things that I wanted to put the demon girl through, just like how it was all those years ago. I descended some more stairs, and the sound of footsteps snapped me out of my malicious thoughts. A girl with long brown hair, wearing green pants was being followed by a group of lower class apparitions. I turned and began to run to a shortcut I knew of. _I have no doubt in my mind that is a human. _I continued to run, confident that this girl would run into the main hallway. I was correct. I ran up and grabbed her right hand with my left, gruffly telling her to follow me.

"Where are you talking me?" a question mildly laced with irritation was asked by the girl. I turned left and let go of her hand. She stood there, in plain sight. I had to turn back around and grab her.

"Come on." I commanded. The two of us had our backs against a wall, staying as still as statues. The group of lower class thugs continued their search for this girl. Once the group had passed us, the girl turned to face me and gasped. She took a long look at me before saying anything.

"Let me guess, human?"

"Yes, but remember down here we're in the minority so be careful." I turned and began to walk down the hall we had turned into. _I did appreciate finding a human girl here at the Dark Tournament. She obviously is here for team Urameshi. _My lip twitched as a smirk appeared on my face. _She can be my perfect distraction. _I had made it back to the VIP seating where I watched as Yusuke and Chu butted heads. Chu tilted over and fell hard to the ground. Koto, the announcer, counted up to ten and declared Yusuke the winner.

"I don't believe it. If I had bet on that gutter trash, I'd be eating my shirt right about now!" exclaimed one of the millionaires.

"I'm tired of your lies. I expect you gone upon my return." I calmly said before exiting the room.

Natsumi's POV

.pain. I groaned as I began to wake, the recollections of events hitting me at once. I inhaled and coughed as the pain in my mouth began, as well as in my arm. I sat up and slumped over, dizzy from blood loss. I managed to get to my feet and I stumbled around, picking up my daggers and putting them in my boots. I walked back to the entrance of the building and through the doors. I looked at my right arm and it was still a bloody mess. I looked at my hands and the blisters were still there. Healing these with my own energy was doable, but I wanted to use my energy to get to my next destination. I had no idea of the time or day as I began walking through the desert.

"_Natsumi, you need to heal your wounds." _Phoenix approached me with concern.

"_I must get to my homeland."_ I argued as I almost lost my footing.


	11. Chapter 11

I ignored Phoenix's pleas to stop for awhile and heal myself, instead trudging through the desert towards my home in the mountains. I raised my head, looking up at the sky and trying to determine if I was still in day one of the tournament or if I was in day two. The wind started to pick up and I found it getting increasingly more difficult to walk against the storm coming in. I squinted my eyes and held back my hair to prevent it from whipping around in my face as I tried to locate something that I could use as a shelter. The storm was coming in fast, and the sand began to shoot at me like thousands of tiny bullets. I dropped to my knees and hunched myself down, getting as low as I could to the ground, bundling myself into a ball. I held my right arm tightly with my left hand and began to use my energy to heal myself. The sand was getting in the way of my healing and I could feel the tiny shards scrape into my arm. Healing myself was proving to be difficult and I felt guilt creep up, making the blood rush to my cheeks. The hole was closing slowly but I was relieved the pain in my arm was receding. I stayed in my position, healing myself while battling the elements of the desert.

The winds abruptly halted after some time had passed and I was able to fully heal my arm, however the pain where the hole had been continued to ache. I lifted my head and looked at my surroundings and the sky. The sun was slowly rising over the horizon, it was very early in the morning. I picked myself up and continued walking towards my mountainous homeland.

"_It took a desert storm to get you to heal yourself?" _Phoenix was doing her best to contain her anger.

"_It wouldn't have been good to have the sand get in me, would it?"_

"_Natsumi, I'm worried about you. You're acting reckless and making poor choices."_

"_How long have we been together now, Phoenix? I've always been this way."_

"_I don't understand the thought process. Before, you wanted something to be strong enough to kill you. Now, you have friends, belong to a team...and you still live the same way even though you cannot die?!"_

"_It's so much more than that, Phoenix. What good is my life, if I can't protect what I hold dear to me? What good is my power, if I cannot lend my aid when my team needs it? What good am I...if I continue to take your power for granted, instead of getting stronger on my own?!" _my emotions flooded my mind as I confessed my deepest thoughts to her. _"It's better this way. Let me pay for all the times I took your power for granted. Allow me to learn that I am not as great as everyone thinks I am. Permit me to feel unadulterated pain!" _Tears began to fall freely from my eyes as I continued to walk through the desert, not bothering to wipe them away. _"I thought I had everything all figured out. I would grow up, be the best rogue that ever lived, find a mate that my parents and brother approved of, have my own family, bury my parents when it was their time to return to the earth and grow old. Instead," _I paused, not wanting to say what really happened. If I said what really happened, it meant that I knew the truth and accepted it. Maybe...maybe it was time that I started to accept what really happened. It was time to grow more as a young girl and a demon. I tried to swallow but it felt like I had a lump stuck in my throat that barely allowed any saliva to pass. _"Instead, my clan turned against me. Somehow, selecting me to be the one to be the host for the Phoenix instead of Keisuke. Once they heard that Keisuke would more than likely be killed, they opted for me to be the host. It would be better to have a commoner slain than the Chief's son. I ran away for a year, hoping they would forget about me. I decided to return on my brother's birthday. And then...I wasn't strong enough to beat those three and I wasn't smart enough to leave once I woke up. It took me two weeks to bury the dead, and I stayed for two more, in case a hunting party returned. What found me was a group of demon scientists and in the beginning helped teach me things I know now. Humans began to make an appearance and wanted to know more about demons, preferably the female ones. I was taken into a room where I would stay for a year. There were no locks or chains on me, but I heard other girls come in with them on and some of their voices never returned. My body was beyond violated during my stay in that place. My childhood and innocence were snatched away from me, as these monsters that called themselves men continued their assaults on my body. What was taken from me I replaced with anger and hatred. The chains appeared, more "inventions" were being tested on me. The more I protested, threatened and fought resulted in a demand for more chains and sedatives. My year without eating was approaching and I knew I had to escape. I wish I had the idea earlier that if I remained complacent, I would have broken out much sooner. It's...difficult to act out a part of pure enjoyment when a raging desire to eradicate everything burns from the core and all over the body. Anyways, I broke out and wound up working with Hiei, Kurama and that jerk Goukai. Back then, you're right, I just wanted to escape my miserable life through a significantly stronger opponent and be finished with this world. Now...I have found things and people that make my fight worthwhile. Camaraderie. Happiness. Love. Friends like Botan, Yusuke, Kazuma and Shizuru, Kurama, Hiei and Yukina. I've formed special bonds with all of them and there is nothing I wouldn't do, give or sacrifice to ensure they will be okay. This is why I push myself to become stronger. This is why I force myself into dire situations, so that I may work harder and think faster. I sweat and toil in training so that they may never have to bleed in battle." _I wasn't paying attention as I was talking to Phoenix and walked into a river. The cold and wet sensation on my feet instantly snapped me out of my conversation. I jumped backwards to get out of the water and look where I had wandered into. This little wooded area with the river was familiar. I looked up to check my "time". The sun in the sky was slowing going down, displaying a beautiful sunset. Straight ahead, in the distance sat Shattered Skull mountain. I took off my soaked boots and held them in my left hand as I began to walk to my mountain home.

Hiei's POV

I woke before the sun came up and prepared to train for the day. After yesterday's fight, my right arm felt fine, with the exception of a few twists of an unpleasant feeling. I decided to explore the island and found a good spot where where a natural rock formation was next to the ocean. I did some stretches before unsheathing my sword that was strapped to my back. My left hand held the sword as I shakily raised my right arm and turned my right hand to grip the hilt of my sword and pain overwhelmed my arm. I couldn't move it at all. I gritted my teeth and narrowed my eyes. _Why did it not feel this way after the fight? Surely I would have felt this after my adrenaline dissipated. _

"_The answer isn't obvious?"_ Dragon taunted me.

"_Enlighten me."_

"_A very curious girl, currently away in another world played a part."_

"_Hn. Tell me, how can she heal me when I am a world away from her?"_

"_There is a couple pieces of the Phoenix present in you. The Phoenix was able to shoot off two pieces, you might remember, one in your right hand and one in your heart."_

"_You were too slow so you were able to only get one on her."_

"_I was not slow. My attack takes more time to-"_

"_The Phoenix beat you. You lost."_

"_WHY YOU!" _Dragon roared in anger and began to thrash about in my right arm. I gripped my forearm tightly with my left hand and began to use my energy to sate Dragon's hunger tantrum. I watched as a couple of waves crashed against the rock, spraying salt water in the air. It looked as if I wasn't going to get anything accomplished today. Dragon was relentless, stretching and tearing my muscles in my forearm. I fell to my knees and placed my head against the cool rock, straining to control Dragon's violent outburst. I would never admit it, but I was desperately praying for that light to come again. The waves splashed sprinkles of water over me. I refused to return to the hotel until Dragon had settled down in my arm.

Natsumi's POV

I had finally reached where my village was. Healthy green plants and grass grew from the rubble that littered the ground. The air was fresh and crisp, the setting was serene and graceful. I bit my lip as I walked down a forgotten path, covered in grass now, that led to where the houses used to be. I continued to stroll along, seeing the place for what it was now, yet also seeing it how I remembered it to be. I strayed from the path, walking towards a hill that was distanced and halted. I stared at the ground for a good while, creating the image of my home. I finally walked in what would have been inside of the house and where my room was located, to the left of the entrance. I dropped off my boots by where the door would have been and I sat down on where my bed used to be and drew in a long, deep breath. So many memories in this little space alone and there were many more, spread across the land. I could feel the laughter and songs from my childhood in the breeze, the old trees were my practice targets and tangible proof of my training days. The ground knew the thunderous steps of our victorious dances and festivities, and the sky saw that we were all taken care of. Whispered secrets were held in the pools where many of the girls frequented and practice battle cries from the boys fell with the falling leaves. Life had seemed so simple then. Among the ruins, life bloomed and I thought back of what Phoenix had said. I curled up in a fetal position, laying on my right side. I yawned and closed my eyes.

_A symbol appeared. What was it called again? An...ankh? Why would I dream about this? This is something that my brother would have been interested in. My...brother... I buried you. I remember that day all too well. I put your beloved symbol with you in your grave._

_I had seen the Dragon in my dream. I looked up at the dark creature and he gave a sinister grin. _

"_There is no need to continue to harm him." I tried to reason._

"_He continues to test my patience. He shall know that I answer to no one!" Dragon bellowed._

"_You think you're so tough because you cause harm?! Come harm me then, I'll kick your ass!" I spat defiantly._

_I was pulled from my conversation with Dragon to a black space. It was freezing. The blackness faded away and snow was falling on the ground. An ice castle in the sky. My getaway bag with my armor inside, lying near the entrance. _

I woke up a couple hours later, feeling well rested yet extremely uncomfortable with my dream. I rose and began to walk down to where the graves of the clan were located. I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach as I approached the grave site. I walked to the right, and down a few rows before immediately stopping. The graves that were all open, defiled and looted. Anger was quick to rise as I howled my anger for witnessing this blatant disrespect. All I saw was red as I began to sprint around the village, looking for the possible gravediggers. There was no one in this area but me. My vision was returning to normal as I calmed myself down. I had to be logical. How long has it been since I had been here? Was I really that naïve to think there wouldn't be an encroachment upon my land, especially when I was away? Phoenix did her best to console me as I sprinted back to where my home was, still pretending that I had to walk through a doorway to get to my room. I dropped to my hands and knees and began to shuffle and glide my hands over the dirt and grass covered ground. _I know it's still here._ I started to dig with my hands in the general area near where my bed used to be. After a few minutes, my nails had scratched the wooden floor that was buried. I spread out the dirt by wiping it away from my dig site. I reached for my boots for one of my daggers as I wedged the edge of my dagger inside the wooden floor. I wiggled the dagger around until I heard a crack in the wood, where I then pulled off the wooden panel with both of my hands. A carefully folded map lie inside of the unsoiled compartment. I reached in and pulled it out, carefully opening up the map. After studying where I needed to go for my next destination, I gently folded the map up and held onto it, storming out of the ruins of my house and heading North, to where the land of snow maidens thrived.

Hiei's POV

I never did make it back to the hotel like I had planned. I ended up getting restless sleep up on a tree that was somewhat close the the water. _Why did I dream of Natsumi threatening Dragon? _My right arm was severely injured from Dragon attempting to rip my arm open from the inside. I was weary, still gripping my forearm with my left hand as I walked back through the wooded area to reach the arena.

"_She threatened me." _Dragon was in disbelief.

"_She doesn't need to fight my battles." _

"_I'm still a battle to you? I'm declaring war."_

Dragon began to slither and wriggle inside of my forearm, purposefully bumping into my tendons, muscles and bones. I audibly gasped and tightened my grip on my forearm before taking a knee and kneeling on the ground.

"_Damn you, I will be your master!" _I swore, raising my right arm with my left and glaring where Dragon had stopped moving.

"Is this wise, Hiei?" I heard Kurama ask from up on a tree.

"What do you mean?" I quickly rose, not wanting to display my true pain.

"It won't be easy to keep winning without the use of your dominant hand. Perhaps you should withdraw."

I shot a baleful glance at him and scoffed, "You heard what Toguro said. We don't have a choice."

"Hm. If only a certain left handed demon were here to help out." Kurama jumped down from the tree he was in.

"If we don't make it through this tournament, he will kill us all. Fighting is our only way out." I stated, emphasizing that our job was to stay and fight, no matter the cost. _Although, it would be nice if said certain demon would show up, considering her opponent is here as well._

Natsumi's POV

I could feel my energy regenerating as I continued to sprint over the rugged terrain of the mountain. The air was thinner and I knew I was getting closer to my destination. The land subtlety began change until I was wading knee deep in snow. I trudged on, determined to get my clothes, and also to meet my next challenge. The castle in the sky wasn't really in the sky, it was just placed on a very steep mountain. I began at the base of the mountain, using the path that was provided.

"_Maybe I can swing by and find Yukina after I finish up?"_

"_Perhaps. I believe this is where she said she resided."_

The trail I followed ended, as the path was blocked by rocks. Someone, or something had created a barricade that wouldn't allow passage. I looked up the wall to my right and saw that, although difficult, I could climb it. I tucked the map in the middle of my chest wrappings so I wouldn't lose it and hopefully not damage it. I walked backward and sprinted forwards with all my demon energy and jumped onto the right wall. The rocks I was holding onto were frozen, freezing my hands and shaking from my weight so I pushed off the wall and upwards with my feet, barely grabbing a new frozen rock with my right hand. That little stunt had me staring down at a 4,000 drop, maybe more. I found another frozen rock that my left hand could hold and I steadied myself. _"Don't think about falling. Don't look down."_

"_Thanks Phoenix, but that's not helping. I'd feel better if we could glide or something."_

Again, I pushed off and up, scaling the right side of the mountain.

I had finally pulled myself up and over the ledge of the castle. I rolled on my back and allowed myself the time to recover from almost slipping several times, seeing the drop increase at least two more times and one very close call of me falling off of the cliff. My legs were bruised and a little bloody from the scratches the frozen rocks delivered, my hands were freezing and bloody and I was shivering from having little clothing on in a very frigid setting. I rolled up and on my feet and began making my way to the castle entrance. There was my getaway bag, just like how the dream had shown me.

"Oh finally! My clothes!" I exclaimed aloud as I ran to my bag, grinning as I would finally have some dagger sheaths and pockets. I picked up my bag and headed to the great doors of the castle, where they had opened up for me when I got closer.

I entered the castle and hugged the left wall, hoping that I could change in the corner. I dropped my bag on the ground, knelt down and opened it up, selecting my black and red armor. Finally, I had some decent clothes that would help protect me against the elements and attacks. I slung the bag over my shoulders, pulled the cowl over my head and drew my daggers, going into stealth. I started exploring the left part of the castle first and discovered it was empty. Walking back to the center of the castle, I continued straight to the right part of the castle. Again, all the rooms were empty. I backtracked to the center and noticed a stairway that was partially hidden behind an abstract painting. I took the stairway, it leading me up to what looked like servants quarters. There, a striking woman with purple hair, dressed in green clothes decorated in leaves was sitting at a desk, furiously writing.

"Hello Natsumi. I've heard so much about you." the woman turned around in her chair and looked at a corner of the room I wasn't in.

"I'm afraid I can't say the same." I said softly, appearing behind her left shoulder, my right dagger on the nape of her neck.

"Everyone has heard of me. I'm Pestilence."

"If you are, what are you doing in a place where you have to work harder to thrive? The desert seemed more...hospitable to your needs."

"Excellent observation." she smiled and pushed her neck into the blade of my dagger and gasped. "Oh!" she began to smile and laugh while my poison worked through her. "Very creative. To use Beet petals, snap weed, lion's tail and..." she opened her mouth and began flicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth, "...your blood."

I appeared in front of her. "How did you guess that?!"

"Sweetie." Pestilence said, "I've got to know all sorts of things, dealing with fatal diseases is just one of my many hobbies. I enjoy working on gathering herbs, alchemy, and chemistry to name a few."

"What do you have to do with Keisuke?"

"Oh, I need favor from him later." Pestilence stood up and adjusted her clothing. "I'm not much of a fighter, so I'll tell you what. If you can correctly tell me what are in these five bottles after imbibing them, I'll make it worth your while."

"You're telling me to ingest what may be unknown to me, assuming I don't die, five times? I'd rather kill you now." I grinned at her.

"Oh, those teeth! Famine got you pretty good." Pestilence made a face before giving me a pitied look.

I pursed my lips and readied for my attack.

"You drive a hard bargain." Pestilence sighed. "Fine. Out of three, drink one of your choosing."

"Only if you prepare them fresh before my eyes. You needn't tell me what you are putting in, but I require it freshly prepared."

Pestilence thought for a minute before smirking, "Deal."

"_I don't trust her."_

"_I don't either but false information or not, at least I'm obtaining something."_

I watched as Pestilence washed three clear cylinders and placed it on the table in front of me. Quickly chopping some ingredients that were both familiar and unfamiliar to me, she separated the chopped pieces in three different piles. One she placed in a bowl and poured some liquid on it, the second one she used her energy to liquify it and the last one she mashed the ingredients together into a paste-like substance. She then poured the three drinks into the cylinders and placed them before me, with a sadistic grin plastered on her face. "Now this is something that I live to see when someone falls down the rabbit hole."

I picked up the substance to my left and wafted its scent. It was odorless. I placed it back down and did the same for the other two. The right one had a slight sweet smell, the middle one was almost sour. I reached for the left one again and paused. One lone drop of water was falling along the inside of the cylinder. As soon as it hit the substance, a fizzing sound was heard and I bolted out to the right and out of the way, grabbing the middle substance to be saved. There was a mini-explosion and the new chemical that was formed from the water and other substance forced a reaction out of the right cylinder.

"Looks like I chose correctly." I declared and chugged down the sour potion.

Pestilence just smiled as she watched me down the drink. I walked over to the table and placed her cylinder down carefully.

"Allow me to go now. I've beaten your game."

Her smile cracked and her eyebrows furrowed together. "You...You don't feel anything?"

"I'm feeling a lot of things but mainly how you were too careless with the swamp mushroom, negating your eel oil to paralyze me."

"How are you able to still stand?!" she yelled.

"I'm a humane demon. I always test on myself before others." I flashed her my fanged smile before turning to exit the room. "Oh, Pestilence?" I stopped to face her, "It's a sin to waste devil's fruit like that. Such a sweet nectar should be used for a death, not paralysis."

I triumphantly walked out of the castle and determining by the sky, it was maybe a late afternoon. I sprinted down the mountain until I couldn't pass the rock blockage.

"_Natsumi, I feel amazing." _Phoenix breathed.

"_I feel your power is more than what I'm used to...I'm not complaining though!" _I laughed as I took my position to climb down the mountain.

"_That mixture has great power." _

"_Great! I can make some and we will always be ready to fight!"_

"_I don't know if it works like that.."_

I dismounted my hold and landed on the powdery ground. I turned and saw a village not too far from the mountain. I took a step forward and sunk hip-deep in the snow. I sighed and prepared for the trudge ahead.

I had finally shuffled my way through the hip deep snow to the village entrance. I pulled my cowl down, allowing my red hair to fly free. I spotted a middle aged and an older woman that were hurrying to get inside a hut.

I used my speed to warp to them. "Excuse me ladies. I'm looking for a friend that I think lives here. Her name is Yukina. She's about my height, has cute minty hair and gorgeous crimson eyes. Do you know her?"

"She would never associate with the likes of you." the older woman spat.

"Well, contrary to your belief, which you are entitled to and completely wrong, by the way, she did. Still does."

"I allowed her to go search for her brother." the middle aged woman admitted.

I stiffened and turned my gaze to her. "Please, tell me what you know."

The middle aged woman nodded to the older woman to go inside of the hut. "Walk with me." she ordered.

The woman led me to a gravestone, where I could read the name, "Hina."

She walked behind the gravestone and placed her right hand on its center. "My name is Rui. Hina was my best friend." she started. "I always supported her in anything that she wanted to do." Rui inhaled a breath before continuing. "Hina was always so vibrant, cheerful and brave. She wanted to go outside and see the parts of the world, instead of keeping safe and secluded here. I helped her sneak out of the village. She pleaded me to go experience life outside of my comfort area but I chose to stay behind. It was stressful for me, there were no letters that could be sent to see if she was doing well or not. I worried every night if I had made the wrong decision in letting her leave. One day before the end of October, a very pregnant Hina returned home. That night, I assisted her in delivering two beautiful baby twins. However, one was a male and later we found out part fire demon and the Elders would not stand for it. They had already deemed him to be a danger to our society and declared he must be destroyed. Hina had begged them to reconsider, that he was only an infant and that he could learn the way of our matriarchal values. The Elders refused to listen to her pleas and instructed me to be the one to rid the village of the infant Hina named "Hiei", by throwing him off of the cliff of Glacial Village and into the depths of demon world."

I shuffled around as I absorbed the information Rui was giving me. All that I could think of was my conversation with Hiei about being a forbidden child. He was seeking to find someone to bond with, to relate to.

Rui's voice began to shake and tears welled up in her eyes. "As they handed me this innocent boy to discard, I gave him a necklace that held his mother's teardrop, a gem known as the Hiruseki stone. I tucked it inside his swaddle and I told him, 'I want you to grow up strong and one day, take revenge upon the Elders.'" Rui paused, inhaling a shaky breath, "And then, I cast him down, dropping him into an unknown world. Hina...committed suicide shortly after. There was nothing I could do...What could I do? I was the one that was tasked with ending her infants life!" Rui lost her cool composure and broke down crying.

So many things clicked into place in my mind. I stood in the snow, wide-eyed with my mouth slightly open.

Rui composed herself, clearing her throat and wiping her eyes. "He came back. He told me that everyone was too pitiful to kill, since they had shied away from the rest of the world for so long. I begged him to kill me but I was ignored. You, stranger, you know who he is, don't you?"

"I have a connection to him, yes." I replied awkwardly.

"You also wield fire, correct?"

"I do."

"Then, as his accomplice, kill me for what I have done. I don't want to live with this guilt and misery anymore!" Rui threw herself on the ground, begging me.

"I cannot do that, for many reasons." I said softly. "My deepest apologies are sincere, but your blood on my blade doesn't make anything right. What has happened has transpired and all we can do is learn and move forward." I took a knee beside her. "Find the strength to overcome the sadness that this place is saturated in. Overthrow the Elders. Develop a new way to run the society so it doesn't die out. I don't care what you do, just don't give up." I got up and looked at the sky. "I'm sorry to be rude, but where did you say Yukina went off to?"

I was racing down another hill and into a busy city that had chickens, children and other obstacles in the streets. I was skidding around corners and warping out of the way if I was about to run into someone. I turned another corner and saw the docks and a boat that was already several feet out. I took in a deep breath and sprinted as fast as I could, jumping off of the harbor dock and running towards the boat setting sail. 5. I'm not there yet. 4. Still not there... 3. Almost there. 2. I'm so close! 1. I jumped, pushing off of the water and diving toward the boat. 0. I landed face first on the top of the main deck. I breathed a sigh of relief and stayed on the floor.

"Hey! No free rides!"

I looked up at who was yelling at me. A portly old pirate with a black beard was standing over me. I exhaled an irritated breath and got to my hands and knees before standing tall of my four-foot, ten inch height. I looked him straight in the eye and began releasing my demon energy.

"I'm the alternate for Team Urameshi." I handed him a ticket that I had pickpocketed from him.

"Natsumi?" a feminine voice asked.

I turned to face the voice, my eyes landing on Yukina. "Hey Yukina!" I smiled and walked to her.

"You look...different." Yukina said, trying to be polite.

"It's the teeth, isn't it?" I laughed when Yukina nodded.

"May I ask what happened?"

"Sure, let's go find somewhere to sit and chat, I don't like being on the water."

We arrived at Hanging Neck island just as I finished recalling my fight against the white haired man (who remained nameless for obvious reasons). Yukina and I made our way to the fighting arena, where the announcer girl was on a huge televised screen, and crowds of demons gathered to hear what she was saying.

"Team Urameshi and Team Masho have one remaining person in condition to fight. By default, the winner of this match will advance to the semi-finals!"

I had informed Yukina that I would be in stealth, because I wanted to surprise everyone that was there. Yukina and I walked together when a demon with dirty yellow hair and his friend, who was wearing a red bandana turned around and blocked our path.

"Hey Kee, look what we have here. What's your name, princess? The punk wearing the red headband asked Yukina.

"I am Yukina of the ice world. It's very nice to meet you." Yukina bowed gracefully, emitting a burst of cold air to the demons. "Do you know where I could find a ticket booth to the tournament?"

The demon in the red bandana spoke. "Oh sure sister! As if it hasn't been sold out for a week! And all the scalpers went home!"

"I see. So I came all this way for nothing." Yukina turned to me.

"That's not true, Yukina. Stay here and I'll go look for some tickets. Okay?"

Yukina nodded. "Thank you very much Natsumi."

I moved easily through the crowd of people, searching for a ticket booth. That's when I heard the announcement that Yusuke has been disqualified for a technicality. I halted my search for the ticket booth and back tracked my way to where I had left Yukina. So this is how the Dark Tournament is, huh? A bunch of crooks that change the tide in their favor with money. I needed to get to Yukina so I could help her get inside.

I pushed through the crowds of demons, evading and dodging as I moved through them with Yukina in mind.

I stopped, feeling a powerful, familiar energy rise up from the stadium. I was torn, I wanted to know why Hiei's energy was so high but I wanted to get Yukina so she can see what's going on too. Ultimately, head won over heart as I hastened my pace to get Yukina.

I skidded to a halt as I looked around for Yukina. This was the spot where I had told her to stay put. I exhaled a frustrated breath as I sprinted around the stadium, looking for Hiei's sister. There was no way that I was going to allow anything to harm her. I continued my search through the crowds of demons that were inching to the entrance gates and not seeing any sign of her. I wondered if perhaps Shizuru or Keiko spotted Yukina and took her in. I decided that I would go inside of of the stadium and see if the girls were in there.

I broke my stealth as soon as I got to the circular part where one could go down to sit in the seats below. I still didn't see any sign of the girls, not even Botan. I continued to run around the circle as I scanned the crowd. I wasn't looking where I was going and I ran into someone's back, causing me to fall on my bottom.

"Ow! What the hell!" I yelled at the person I collided with. A tall man. Green trench coat. My jaw fell open as I realized I had bumped into the younger Toguro brother.

"Oh my, our fire bird is here?" a well dressed man in a suit turned to face me.

"Damn it!" I cursed. I got up and warped the opposite way from Toguro. I gave him a glare before turning and sprinting the back the way I had come. I wasn't looking for a fight, I was on a mission to find my friends.

I heard the announcer say that Kuwabara was the one making the first move. _Kuwabara, no, you idiot._ I stopped to watch as he summoned his spirit sword, only for it to disappear before he struck his opponent. I tsk'd and decided it would be best for me to get as close as I can so I could yell at him. I began to make my way down the steep steps to the ringside level. I, of course, was on the wrong side of the ring but I could see a makeshift tent with Hiei and the masked fighter inside. Kurama was using the outside ring wall for support and Yusuke was standing next to him. I had traveled across deserts and mountains but navigating the stadium of the Dark Tournament was far more difficult. I made my way back up the stairs and began to run to the other side of the ring.

I was almost to the other side of the ring. The count just hit 9 for Kuwabara. I stopped to watch, holding my breath. Kuwabara got up on the 9th count. I exhaled my breath and started sprinting again. I fell down as the earth began to quake under me. I heard the announcer saying something about Risho using the outside rocks to put them on his body. I struggled to get to my feet as the earth repeatedly quaked with Risho's power. The earth stopped shaking and I jumped to my feet. The announcement for another count for Kuwabara. I couldn't run any faster than what I was. I was determined to get to the ringside. I heard Kazuma's thoughts as he was saying his goodbyes.

"_Hiei, you're a little punk and you always say mean stuff to me. But I know underneath all that junk, you're a good guy. Kurama, you taught me a lot with the things you said. There's nobody more caring than you. Mummy fighter person, you saved those guys from Dr, Ichigaki and that means a lot. You didn't say much, but somehow I really feel like I know you. Natsumi, wherever you are, you're a skilled fighter and I know you're a good thing for Hiei. Keep him out of trouble. And Urameshi, well...uh.._.just take care of the rest of this, okay?" Kuwabara said the last part aloud, giving his signature smile.

I just needed to get down the stairs. I ran down the first flight, stopping myself from colliding with the girls.

"Oh thank god! You're all okay!" I exclaimed as I saw Yukina with the group.

"Let's go!" Botan commanded as the four of us ran down the rest of the stairs to the ringside level.

"KUWABARA!" Yusuke yelled.

Kuwabara caught Risho's attack, preventing any damage. He skidded back with Risho's force but held tightly.

"Kazuma!" Yukina yelled out my friend's name.

"You got this Kuwabara, kick his ass!" I cheered alongside Yukina.

Kuwabara looked in the crowd and spotted Yukina and me, along with Keiko and Shizuru. I gave a small peace sign and closed my left eye.

"She's here!" Kuwabara exclaimed. Kuwabara smacked Risho out of the ring and ran over to talk with Yukina. I took the distraction to head over to see what the tent was about.

"Do I even want to know what happened here?" I asked the red headed enchantress that had a barrier surrounding the tent. I began to raise my energy in preparation to kill the cheater.

"Kuwabara is the winner! And with five wins in a round, Urameshi team advances!"

The red headed enchantress dropped her barrier and fell to the ground. I jumped down on the grassy area in front of her with my blades drawn.

"She's...really here." Hiei said softly, with widened eyes.

"I've a good mind to end your life, here and now." I said, as I placed my daggers in an X position on her neck. "But I'm in a good mood because my team mate won. Run and hide, like the coward you are. If I see your face around here again, I will not hesitate to kill you." I withdrew my daggers and put them in their sheaths, turning on my heel to walk over to my team and congratulate them on all of their wins.

"Well, look who it is!" Yusuke spotted me and began to walk towards me to meet me halfway.

"I know! Crazy turn of events but I wouldn't miss this for the world." I came in for a hug and smiled after.

"Dude! What's up with those teeth?" Yusuke asked as he poked one of my fangs.

"Ew! Get your dirty hands away from my mouth!" I said a bit too loudly, as the rest of the gang turned to look at us.

"Did you guys see her teeth? I don't remember her having fangs." Yusuke pointed a finger at me.

"Ugh, stop making this about me. Let's celebrate Kuwabara's victory!" I changed the subject, going to Kuwabara and hugging his side. Everyone agreed but then split off into pairs; Kuwabara and Yukina, Yusuke and Keiko, Botan and Shizuru and finally Kurama and the masked fighter. Hiei had darted ahead and I followed after him keeping his pace.

We finally stopped on a thick tree branch that hung out over the sea. Hiei sat down with his back pressed against the tree's trunk. I followed his lead, sitting perpendicular to him. A sea breeze passed by, taking salt particles with it. Several moments passed with neither of us saying a word. I noticed a shuffle from Hiei as he scooted over to his right. I smiled without showing my teeth and scooted over next to him.

"He's here."

"What?"

"Your friend that wears a skull."

"I figured since he wasn't at any of the places he sent me off too."

"You arrived with Yukina."

"I did."

"What is she thinking, coming here?"

"She's looking for you."

Hiei stiffened at my truth and looked over at me. His eyes held so much pain at the fact of hiding himself from his sibling.

"I know your reasoning and I don't question it...but perhaps one day things may change." I said, taking my right hand and finding Hiei's left hand to give it a good squeeze. A squeeze to my hand was given to me, an affirmation that this may indeed come to pass.

"Tell me of your travels and how you got those ridiculous teeth."

"They're not that bad, are they?" I pouted.

"No." a smirk was across Hiei's face. "They have a certain appeal to them, although I could be bias."

His voice sounded deeper. It sent all of my senses tingling. I had never heard this tone of his before. _Did he just openly flirt with me? _I looked up at him, questioning with my eyes if that truly happened or if I was imagining things. He gave me another smirk, his eyes gleaming with mischievousness as he tugged at my hand, trying to pull me closer to him. I followed his lead and ended up straddling him. With both hands he framed my face, then took his right hand and pushed my head down, my lips meeting his. I was in shock and it took me a second to kiss him back. Our kiss was explosive, full of passion and _hunger. _The word _"Famine." _resonated in my head and I broke the kiss by lifting my head up to get air.

"This isn't right." I gently put my right hand on Hiei's chest. "This isn't you."

"Are you telling me that I can't appreciate the beauty of my mate?" Hiei's left hand covered my right, entwining his fingers with mine.

I bent my head down and to the right side of his face, my right cheek brushing his. "Listen to yourself." I softly pleaded as I gave him a quick nuzzle.

"You are the most sublime-"

"Hiei!" I gasped as I felt his right hand sliding up my left thigh. I pulled my head away from his and began to tug my hand away from him. He took his left hand to his mouth, giving my hand a quick kiss before releasing me. I fell backwards from the effort of my continued tugging to get my hand away. I quickly got to my feet and stood up.

"I don't know what is happening but I know you don't act like this. This doesn't feel right. I'm sorry. I don't want you to be something you're not. I love you just the way you are." I made my escape by speeding off, into the hotel,where I would stay in the girls' room for the night.

Hiei's POV

_She's right. Why am I saying these things? _I wondered to myself as I watched Natsumi race off towards the hotel. Something didn't feel right, that was for sure. I ached to give chase to her but refrained from doing so. I wanted to know why my feelings felt not stronger but..._amplified._ Something had clicked into my head as I remembered hearing about a weapon that had the power to do so. I admittedly, did not know much about the weapon other than that so I decided to look for the fox. I stood up on the tree branch and scanned the area, focusing on Kurama's energy. Luck would have it that Kurama wasn't too far from where I was. I jumped down from my tree branch and began to run in Kurama's direction following his energy.

I used my speed to warp to Kurama's left side.

"It wasn't much longer ago that I felt another person in a rush, although she went to the hotel." Kurama looked over at me with a smile. "I'm surprised you're not with her. Is everything alright?"

"I've only heard whispers of a weapon that has the power to amplify emotions. I was hoping that you could tell me a little more about it." I fixed my gaze on Kurama's eyes, watching as he lifted his eyebrows in surprise.

"I've heard of it but only as a legend." Kurama confessed, closing his eyes and resting his right hand on his chin. "I believe what you are referring to is called the Seed of Desire. It is said that once planted, it would fulfill all of the desires of the user's heart, but at a costly price of death." Kurama opened his eyes and dropped his hand to his side.

"There is nothing else to go off of other than a legend?" I asked in a disappointed tone.

"I'm afraid not. I am, however, curious as to why this would come up."

"Is there anything in the legend about it being able to affect others?"

"Not to my knowledge, no." Kurama gave me a questioning look. "You're speaking as though you have encountered it." Kurama stopped talking and began studying me for a few moments before widening his eyes. "Natsumi is wielding it?!"

"If she is, it's unknown to her. Or the legend has itself backwards and the seed would be used on others." I warped to a tree to lean my back on it and crossed my arms.

Kurama paled slightly. "You believe you were affected by it?"

"I am certain." I narrowed my eyes as my words to Natsumi echoed in my head. _It was the truth on how I felt but I would never openly express myself to her. She even knew better than that._

"Perhaps I can go speak with Natsumi and see if I can determine where in her journey she had obtained it."

"Keep your distance."

Natsumi's POV

I had entered into the hotel's lobby and spotted Keiko and Yukina entering the elevators to go up to their room. I warped over to them just before the elevator door closed.

"Hello again Natsumi." Yukina greeted me with a smile.

"Hey there." Keiko said, giving me a little wave.

"I'm so glad I was able to run into you two." I sighed in relief. "I need to have a girl's night." I said as I leaned my right shoulder against the forward right corner of the elevator, next to the buttons.

"You know what? I can use one too!" Keiko agreed.

The elevator stopped and dinged and opened its doors. Two couples entered the elevator and I stood in my spot, refusing to move. Yukina and Keiko shuffled over in my corner to let them in. The elevator doors closed and the elevator began to climb the levels of the hotel. Once again, the elevator stopped and dinged, opening its doors. Keiko motioned for Yukina and I to follow. I gave a wary look back at the people in the elevator before paying attention to where Keiko was leading Yukina and me.

"Here we are!" Keiko said in a singsong voice, stopping in front of a brown wooden door. She slid a key card into a slot provided in the door and a little green light blinked. Keiko pull down on the door handle and swung the door in and to the left, holding it upon for Yukina and me and then shutting the door after we had walked in. The room was a decent size. It had a small sitting area that had a table for two, a "love seat" (Keiko told me that was the name for the strange beige rectangle), a coffee table and a television that was placed on a dresser. In the next room, two beds were placed on opposite sides of the room, with the bathroom being across from the small closet as soon as one entered the next room.

"Where's Botan and Shizuru?" I asked, not seeing the physical presence of my friends or feeling their energies.

"Botan said she would be in a meeting with Koenma and Shizuru is on a hot date." Keiko laughed as she took a seat in one of the chairs by the table.

I made my way over to the love seat and sat down, Yukina following my lead and sitting next to me.

"I thought I saw you and Yusuke take off alone in the woods." I smirked as Keiko's face began to turn red, her pulse speeding up.

"Well, I seen Yukina and Kuwabara walking towards the ocean!" Keiko did her best to change the subject off of her.

"Yes that is correct. Kazuma and me walked to a cliff that had an ocean view. It was very nice but then he started to act strange." Yukina confessed.

"What did he do?" I asked in a harsh tone.

"Oh, nothing like that." Yukina raised both of her hands and waved them in a negative motion. "He just said some strange things and I wondered if he said that to all the girls about the power of love."

"Awww! That's so cute! You two had a date!" Keiko squealed. She regained her composure and stiffened up. "I wish my date would have been that cute."

"Why? What happened?" Yukina asked.

"Well, Yusuke was fine in the beginning," Keiko admitted. "But then he had the audacity to start groping me just because we don't have chaperons on this trip."

"Sounds pretty rough." I said, sympathizing Keiko and Yukina.

"I thought I saw you chasing after Hiei, what's that about?" Keiko asked, turning to face me.

"I just thought to spend some time with him." I said in all honesty.

"Are you fond of him, Natsumi?" Yukina asked.

I faced Yukina. "Would it be a problem if I were?" I asked softly, my eyes searching hers for any hint of anger or jealousy.

"Of course not!" Yukina shook her head no vigorously. "I was just asking because I feel...like Hiei is really fond of you. I can't explain why. But it's just a strong feeling."

"So, are you?" Keiko pressed me, wanting my answer.

I smiled and shrugged. "Perhaps."

The night continued on as Keiko,Yukina and me vented about all the things that had happened with the Dark Tournament, school, home life and searching for a lost brother. Shizuru had entered the room and was immediately questioned on her night out. She refused to say much, other than he too, was a human and they bonded over cigarettes, views on society and what they would ultimately like to see happen before they die.

"Twenty-one questions is over now, it's bedtime. More fights will be fought tomorrow. Let's rest up and get ready to boo, since the committee wants to keep screwing with our team." Shizuru declared.

As the sleeping arrangements were being made and the girls were changing into their pajamas, I sat on the love seat thinking about Keiko's, Yukina's and my experiences with the boys. _What would make them act so strange?_ I wondered to myself, my thought being interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

"Natsumi, can you please get that?" Shizuru called from the next room over.

"On it." I called back, warping to the door and opening it all the way. "Kurama!" I greeted him with a smile. "What are you doing here so late?"

"Would you happen to have some time to walk with me?" Kurama asked, keeping his hands in his pockets.

"Of course." I said as I took the door handle and began to close the door. "I'll be back!" I called, shutting the door all the way. I turned around and saw that Kurama was standing quite a ways away from me, almost like he was keeping his distance.


	12. Chapter 12

Kurama led the way, making small talk as we walked down the hall, entered the elevator, went down to the lobby and through the exit/entrance of the hotel. I noticed his subtle movements; him stepping his right foot out in an attempt to create space between us. I wasn't paying attention to what he was trying to talk about, rather, I was paying attention to his careful, cautious tone and how forced it sounded to my ears. Had I been anyone that never spent time around Kurama, I would have thought his questions and how he talked about things were extremely genuine and down to Earth. But, I am me and that meant I have spent well over a year with Kurama, picking up on his little habits and tendencies. I fought alongside of him on multiple occasions and knew when he was trying to discreetly obtain information. The questions that remained was, did he truly think that I would be this oblivious or is he playing a game that we both must keep in character until a danger had passed?

We stopped in a heavily wooded part of the island, the salt air blew in the night breeze which meant that the ocean was nearby. My ears were perked and I used my energy to 'feel' out if there were any others nearby. Kurama had said something and I missed it. Thinking quickly, I decided I would play the part of being oblivious.  
"I'm sorry, I completely wasn't listening because I was taking in our surroundings. What was that?"  
"I asked you about your journey."  
My ears picked up on his tone, which was a forced calm. I narrowed my eyes, dropping my oblivious facade."If you have a problem, speak. I don't care for your deceitful stories."  
Kurama dropped his act as well and stood straighter to make himself taller. "Says the one that has deceived this team since her arrival."  
"What exactly have I not been truthful about?!" my voice raised slightly, my eyebrows lifted in slight surprise.  
"Where did you obtain the weapon?" Kurama's eyes narrowed as he got into a fighting stance.  
"What weapon?" I asked, as I too, got into my fighting stance.  
"Natsumi, the lies end. Tell me and we don't have to do this." Kurama reached his right hand back and pulled a rose out from his hair.  
"Kurama, I'm telling the truth and you're right we don't have to do this." I retorted, drawing my daggers from their sheaths and readying myself. I refused to plea to anyone, regardless if I am at fault or not.  
"Very well." Kurama said as he used his energy to turn the rose into his rose whip. He closed his eyes and sighed, strengthening his resolve on what must be done. His eyes opened, vibrant green orbs narrowed as a thorny whip headed quickly to where I was.

Waiting until the very last second, I dodged to the right to avoid the attack. I warped in a zigzag pattern as the whip followed close behind. I jumped up into a nearby tree and put my daggers back in my sheaths. I jumped down and halted my run as the whip cracked menacingly. I turned to run the other way and found that Kurama was right behind me. A swift kick to my stomach sent me skidding back on my shoulders. Ignoring the discomfort, I jumped to my feet and broke left, avoiding the whip attack again.  
"Why aren't you fighting back? Do you plan to avoid my attacks?" Kurama asked as he continued his onslaught, the whip moving at an increased rate.  
I knew he was trying to get me riled up, it's a basic tactic to try to manipulate the enemy so they lose concentration on what they were doing. Kurama continued his vicious verbal attacks.  
"You're running around in a circle just like Kuwabara did. Come now, why don't you come fight like a demon?"  
I continued running, jumping into the nearby trees and changing directions since the whip seemed to crack everywhere around me. The surrounding trees in the area were deeply scarred from the constant attacks. Even though I had plenty of opportunities to end our spar, I didn't want to hurt Kurama, knowing full well that he had sustained great injuries from the Dark Tournament. From his viewpoint, it seemed he was determined to get whatever information he wanted, and would go at great lengths to achieve it. The team needs him and I wasn't going to willingly sabotage their chances of winning. I could avoid the attacks all night but that wouldn't help him since he needed his energy for the next fights to come. There was only one thing that I needed to do and it would be very painful. I clenched my teeth together as I prepared myself mentally before making my move.  
"It's pretty pathetic that you-" Kurama stopped mid sentence and froze.  
My move was to meet the whip head on and the whip had successfully lodged itself in my right deltoids muscle, or, where I was bitten from Famine. I stood as straight as I could and looking defiantly into Kurama's eyes.  
"Finish your sentence. It's pretty pathetic that I what?" I challenged, keeping my posture to make it appear that I wasn't in excruciating pain. "That I..argh!" I grunted and instinctively used my left hand to grab where the whip was inside of my arm. My shaking breath quickly turned to muffled sobs as my right arm felt like it was being cut open with a saw. The pain continued and it didn't matter if I shoved the rose whip deeper into my flesh or if I left it alone. I fell to the ground and began to roll around, successfully entangling myself in the rose whip that Kurama hadn't turned back into a rose.  
"Natsumi! What's going on?" Kurama was baffled at my behavior and then concern kicked in.  
"Please! Make it stop! It hurts!" I exclaimed tearfully as I continued to roll around.  
"What hurts? Natsumi, stop rolling around!" Kurama withdrew his energy from the rose whip, allowing the rose to fall to the ground. He stepped over to help me and then stopped when he was near.  
I felt physically sick. My arm was throbbing and the pain was bringing me closer to blacking out. I heard commotion but couldn't tell what was going on, the sound of my beating heart pounding was all I could hear. I gagged, there was nothing in my stomach to come out. In the middle of everything that was happening to me, I felt a dark energy slide up my arm and into my chest. In that moment, everything became clear- I watched as a vision came to my eyes.

_A dark and foreboding throne room, decorated with bones, the sounds of lost souls sorrowfully moaning as they are locked in their prisons. Me, clothed in red war armor and paint, sitting to Keisuke's left hand side on a throne of bones. Keisuke leans over and whispers something in my ear, my mouth twists into a grin. I stand up and begin to walk out of the dark throne room._  
_The scene changes, a laboratory, a massacre. I stand over a pile of bodies with two dual bladed war swords, one in each hand with Phoenix's Wings adorning my back and shoulders, glowing black from the power I exude out._

_"Fulfill the desire, sate the hunger you feel. The crippling weakness you possess is abstinence. Accept that you are nothing more than a vessel that seeks infinite power and you can transcend above the very Gods that wanted you nothing more than an amusement piece!" an unknown voice calls out._  
_"The seed...yes...it has moved. Give in, give in, lest you be marked. The mark will strip your soul of power!" Another voice chimed in. Maniacal laughter followed._

_The sound of a voice...someone I love...brings me back._

"She's been out for an hour and a half now." Hiei said in an upset tone.  
"We must give her time. We don't know how it will react since the wound was struck." Kurama stated calmly.  
I furrowed my eyebrows together as my head began to throb. I let out a small whimper when I felt the pain pulsing in my chest. I went to roll over and felt I couldn't. I opened my eyes to see two pairs of eyes staring back at me and I looked down to see I was wrapped in a mildly thorned rose whip of Kurama's with my back against a tree and my arms at my sides. I closed my eyes and tried to hide away from showing how much I was in pain before blacking out. I cleared my throat.  
"What's going on? Why am I tied up?" I opened my eyes as I managed to find words and form a coherent question.  
"It was a precaution in case you were to flee." Kurama answered.  
Hiei stood still, I could feel his eyes searching for something, maybe an answer, from me.  
"What happened when you left for you search?" Kurama asked.  
"You two might want to sit down, this journey was a long one."

I had told everything about what I had encountered, minus the detail about what Pestilence knew about me. I watched closely to the expressions and body language of my team mates as I didn't fail to miss any details on my misdirected adventure. Kurama sat on the grass, deep in thought and Hiei was angry that I was careless in my battle with Famine. What had turned into an observation from his end escalated into a heated argument with me and we interrupted Kurama's thought process and attracting his attention to the both of us.  
"Release me! I refuse to sit here and listen to how I screwed everything up when the team wasn't affected by my 'stupidity'!" I demanded, my voice raising louder.  
"If you get any louder I will silence you." Hiei warned.  
"Honestly, you two.." Kurama exhaled a breath and withdrew his energy from the rose he held in his right hand, releasing me from the hold it had on me.  
I slumped forward and away from the tree my back was against, not prepared or ready to get up immediately. I heard Hiei mumble something under his breath and I gritted my teeth as I slowly picked myself up to stand. I wobbled and caught myself, refusing to take a hand that Kurama had extended to help me and shot Hiei a defiant look as I turned and ran away towards the hotel.

On my way to the hotel, I decided that I would break left and check out where the land ended and the ocean began. A beach, as Yusuke and the gang would call it. I came upon a rock formation, where one could sit and watch as the waves gently rolled along with the night wind. I jumped easily onto the rock and sat down, my left hand crossing my chest to hold onto my right arm. There was no wound, per se, yet my arm felt raw, as if Famine had decided for round two of the same meal. I didn't want others to know what I was up against – it wasn't any of their concern and also I didn't need them to worry about me. My mind wandered back to the strange dream/vision I had. I began to replay it, picking apart pieces that stood out to me. The first, was I was willingly by Keisuke's side and that alone made me feel uncomfortable. The second, was the creepy unknown voice.  
_"What did it mean, 'the mark will strip my soul'?_  
_"I believe it serves as a warning."_ Phoenix entered into my consciousness.  
_"I'm not understanding how it would know if I suppress a desire or not._" I huffed inside of my head.

I felt his familiar spirit energy directly behind me. I froze, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of me acknowledging him. My chest felt like it was twisting inside of itself and I inhaled sharply and used my right arm to help turn me around,my face almost coming in contact with Hiei's right knee. The pain withdrew, leaving as quickly as it had come.  
"If you're not feeling well, you should head inside to the hotel where it would be safer." Hiei said condescendingly, looking down at me with a mocking gaze.  
"It's not like you to pity me like this. Tell me love, have I had that much of an impact on you?" I forced a grin as I met his eyes with mine as I stood myself up in front of him.  
"Hn." was all he said looking away to his right.  
I smiled at his response. To a stranger, it would seem that Hiei couldn't care less about me, but I knew differently. Hiei wouldn't bother to give chase to someone he didn't feel was worthy of his time. For him to be here, he wants something, the question of the hour is _what._  
"What brings my favorite demon to me tonight?" I winked at him when he turned his head to look at me.  
"You have more answers and I intend to get them."  
"Ah. I see." I stopped as I heard Phoenix's voice in my head.  
_"Natsumi, I must speak with Dragon."_ She said urgently.  
"Perhaps in a little bit." I smirked and shrugged, closing my eyes and letting Phoenix take over my body.

Hiei's POV

When Natsumi opened her eyes, her ice blue eyes were crimson. That was the one giveaway that one was in the presence of Phoenix. I exhaled out a breath of frustration; it always seemed that Natsumi had a way to slip through cracks.  
"Hello Hiei." Phoenix greeted.  
"Phoenix." I acknowledged.  
"I must speak with Dragon, it is a pressing matter."  
"I'm not sure if he wishes to speak with you."  
Phoenix used Natsumi's left hand to grab onto my right hand. Her eyes glowed and a bolt of her energy came coursing through my right arm. I could feel Dragon's irritation grow as Phoenix's energy continued to pulse at a steady rate. I felt Dragon rise up from my right arm and into my consciousness. In the next moment, I was cast into another realm, the sight of Natsumi/Phoenix fading away as the gap closed.

I landed expertly on the forest floor and began to search my surroundings. The space here was small, and there were only two paths that split in opposite directions. I examined myself, taking in how I was wearing the same clothing and how I appeared to be the same. I heard a noise behind me and whirled around to come face-to-face with an ethereal-looking Natsumi. I took a moment to look her over, noting she was wearing the same clothing before I appeared here, my eyes finally trailing back up to her smiling face, her fangs were gone.  
"Your fangs are gone. Where are we?"  
Natsumi ran her tongue along her teeth, giving a look of satisfaction."Phoenix called it the 'Realm of Truth'. It's nice to see that I have company this time around."  
"Why would such a thing exist?"  
Natsumi shrugged. "Maybe there needs to be a place where not even the strongest pride can mask one's true thoughts and feelings."  
"It seems as though you are speaking from experience."  
Natsumi laughed. "The first time I arrived to this Realm, it was maddening. My very thoughts were changed but in that change, truths were found." Natsumi paused for a moment, glancing me up and down. "Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale." she asked, placing her right hand on my left shoulder.  
"Hn. I don't like that Dragon possesses my body right now."  
Natsumi had a pained expression on her face as she lifted her hand off of my shoulder and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I really wish you would talk to him more. I don't understand why you two can't get along."  
What I wanted to say was, "I don't rely on anyone to help me." What came out was, "I don't want to rely heavily on him. I can and will establish my own power." _How curious that something different came out._  
"Do you find me weak because I rely on Phoenix?" Natsumi straightened herself to stand taller, her hands were now tight fists at her sides.  
"You don't rely on her."  
"I do. Most of the time it's for healing and being immortal, but she's helped me out far more than I've helped myself. Does that change your opinion of me?" Natsumi's eyes were frosted fire imprisoned in the orbs of her eyes, and those eyes were gazing intently into my own.  
_Natsumi's spirit, by far, is my favorite thing about her. She doesn't have a problem challenging me, or anyone, for that matter._"No. If anything," I lifted my right hand and cupped Natsumi's left cheek, "It reaffirms my opinion of you." I whispered. _Even my actions are not held back in this Realm._  
Natsumi took in my words with widened eyes for a few seconds, before closing her eyes and biting down on her lower lip. "What if I told you that I'm scared of things to come? What if I said that there is chance I might betray the team?" Her voice cracked, she opened her eyes and the fire melted its encasement ice, the water wavered with tears threatening to fall.  
I gritted my teeth as I felt my heart twang, seeing Natsumi...vulnerable. I lifted my hand off of her face and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Things will come, it is pointless to worry about them. Will you spend the rest of your immortal life worrying?"  
"No." She answered verbally, shaking her head 'no' in my left shoulder.  
"I don't see you willingly betraying us, so if you turn against us I will find a way to bring you back." I vowed.  
A sigh of relief came from Natsumi and I felt her hug me tighter. "I could never deny you. Nor would I want to."  
"I feel the same way."  
I felt her cheeks rise as she smiled and she loosened her hold on my waist. "I'm undeniably yours." she said, her eyes wide and bright with happiness.  
I gave her a quick kiss to her forehead and smirked. She narrowed her eyes and grinned, giving me a quick kiss on my lips. I returned her quick kiss with one of my own, however, it wasn't quick. I took my time as I felt my lips against her soft lips. I felt her heartbeat increase and her hands finding their way to the front of my shirt, where she tugged for me to come closer. My left hand found her right hip and I placed my right hand behind her neck as I then deepened the kiss, allowing my tongue to slip passed her lips. A gasp from her allowed me to take full advantage of her mouth as I began to explore it, her tongue finding mine as we playfully wrestled around in her mouth. I withdrew my tongue and gave a quick kiss on her lips, as I tried to regain my mind and breath. _What have I done to deserve someone like Natsumi?_ My heartbeat was pumping as I looked at Natsumi's face, her lips slightly swollen into a cute pout from me breaking the kiss. Her eyes said all the words that her and my language could never come close to describing how we felt in this moment.  
"There is no one else I would have be by my side." I whispered into Natsumi's right ear.  
And as quickly as I had come into this new realm, I was taken out, finding myself back into my body.

Natsumi's POV

I opened my eyes, still smiling about what occurred in the Realm of Truth when I noticed that Hiei and me were still in an embrace. I allowed myself to relax completely in Hiei's arms, snuggling against him and breathing in his scent. I think he, too, allowed himself to relax and enjoy our rare moment of being close physically as well as emotionally. I felt water splash against my calf.  
"We should probably move somewhere else, where it would be drier." I said after a few moments of silence. I felt Hiei nod and we both broke our embrace, Hiei leading the way to a very familiar tree that we had sat in after Kuwabara's victory. I landed next to Hiei's right side on the tree branch and jumped straight up to another branch. A massive ax swung where I landed nanoseconds ago. The tree branch split like a twig, and the ax retreated into a shadow portal. Hiei sprung to the right and I to the left. We were jumping from branch to branch, trying to escape the attacker. I was heading straight when Keisuke appeared from one of his portals and drew his other ax. He swung his axes in perfect diagonal slices. I instantly reacted, summoning a fireball from my left hand and used my fireball's energy to protect my left fist as I propelled my left fist to punch the blades that I was speeding towards. The force was too great for me and I began to tumble in the air, falling to the forest ground. I summoned a fireball in each hand and prepared to flip once I bounced to the ground. My fireballs protected my wrists and caused two singed holes in the ground and I flipped backwards and slid on my feet, my right hand clawing at the ground to stop myself. I jumped straight in the air as Keisuke appeared where I was standing, swinging his axes. I landed on a tree branch to Keisuke's left and dove down, warping behind him. I landed on my hands and right foot, my left leg straight out as I swung my extended leg right into Keisuke's left ankle, causing him to fall forward and to the right. He fell with a loud **thud**, the earth rumbling after his fall and I warped to Keisuke's back, delivering a swift kidney kick, sending him flying further. I drew my daggers and ran to get Keisuke. He escaped my blades by dropping in a portal of his. I whirled around and parried his first swing and dodged as he picked up his right ax and swung to his left, his torso naturally twisting to parry a blade attack. I gritted my teeth, my desire to end this chapter of Keisuke was unwavering. The fight between us raged on, neither one of us giving an inch to the other. My chest began to pound, the feeling of twisting returned as well. I paused my attack as the pain in my chest distracted me. Keisuke took the opportunity to hurl a shadow spike towards me, it planting itself in the middle of my chest. I felt a pulling sensation and clenched my teeth so I wouldn't scream. Keisuke charged for me and behind him, I saw Famine as well as a shadowed plant-like form that had several tentacles. I swiftly took my right dagger and got a clean stab to Keisuke's left ribs, as I jumped and spun myself in the air, Keisuke grunted in pain and released his shadow spike from my chest and delivered a solid back right kick to me. I flew backwards, my shoulders once again, taking the brunt of my fall.  
"This is far from over." Keisuke growled at me before he retreated into his portal.  
"You get back here, you coward!" I called out, rising to my feet to fight.  
Famine and the plant thing charged at me, I steadied myself, raising my daggers in a defensive stance.

Hiei's POV

I was on guard as I watched the battle between Natsumi and Keisuke. From the looks of it, both were equal but Keisuke had an upper hand from his shadow ability. Speaking of that, Keisuke had used one of his portals to escape. I jumped down from the tree I was in and began to walk toward Natsumi.  
Natsumi gritted her teeth and dropped low into a defensive stance with her daggers raised. "You will not get a clean death from me!" she shouted as she dashed to her right and began hurling flame daggers at a bush that was nearby. Her attacks didn't stop. I watched her as she began slashing at the air around her, as if she were fighting an invisible opponent. I crossed my arms and studied how she was "fighting." I felt her fear, but of what was almost impossible to determine. She did an air roundhouse kick before landing on the ground and taking a second to breathe.  
"Are you finished?" I asked, seeing as she had no opponent and therefore in no danger.  
Natsumi looked in my direction, her eyes widening. "Don't you dare!" she warned.  
I continued to stand where I was, not understanding what she was talking about and thinking that Natsumi had had too much to deal with and lost her mind.  
Natsumi charged at me with her blades drawn. I unsheathed my sword and began to parry her attacks, which continued with the ferocity of an all consuming fire. I used my speed to create distance and figure out what the hell has gotten into Natsumi. She had suddenly stopped and fell to the ground, landing on her knees. I jumped up in a tree that was near her, and watched as she distracted herself.  
"You..will not get...away with that..." she panted as she unwrapped her left wrist guard and slid it off. Starting from the back of her left hand, a violet swirl began to wrap itself in what seemed like a live tattoo. It stopped just before it went to her elbow.

I heard the sound of footsteps hurriedly making their way towards Natsumi's and my location. I jumped down from the tree, standing in front of Natsumi. Out from the trees, Hisato tumbled forward, stopping to catch his breath.  
"I came as quickly as I could." he panted, still out of breath. He began holding his arms over his head and steadied his breathing. "Lady Natsumi, did she get marked?"  
"That shouldn't be any of your business."  
Hisato opened his mouth, then shut it for a few seconds. "If I may be blunt, Lord Hiei, I was referring to the Seed of Desire, not curious about what you two do in your free time."  
I felt like a fool. I got angry with myself wondering why the hell didn't I think that first, instead of jumping to conclusions. Hisato interrupted my thoughts as I watched him walk past me and kneel at Natsumi's left side, taking her hand into his. Her hand twitched as Hisato examined the violet mark on her arm.  
"I'm fine. Just let me heal myse-" Natsumi began.  
"No." Hisato interrupted her. "Should you use your powers, the seed will never let you have it back."  
"So...I'm to bleed from my chest all night?" Natsumi tilted her head up to look at me.  
"It's not like you're going to die." I crouched down in front of her and examined where Keisuke's shadow spike hit.  
"This is true," Hisato began. "And before you think to ask someone if they could heal you, don't. The Seed feeds on power." He gave me a worried glance but when Natsumi looked at him he closed his eyes and smiled.  
"Lady Natsumi, what or who were you fighting earlier?" Hisato asked, opening his eyes and donning a serious expression.  
"Famine and this..plant thing..." Natsumi recalled. "They appeared behind Keisuke right before he took his portal."  
_"She was fighting air. Once the coward fled, she attacked air before turning on me."_ I told my side privately to Hisato.  
"Lady Natsumi, did you have a desire, by chance?"  
"Of course. I wanted to defeat Keisuke once and for all." Natsumi replied, without skipping a beat.  
Hisato let out a long breath. "The reason you are marked is because you didn't fulfill your desire."  
"What does this mean, moving forward?" I asked. I felt two pairs of eyes look at me.  
"It means, the seed has marked Natsumi to be consumed. Her soul will be trapped within the seed, where it will then cease to exist."  
"There's no way to stop this?" Natsumi asked after a few moments of silence.  
"I heard that this seed grants all desires to come true. If she failed, why did it select her?" I asked.  
Hisato nodded, acknowledging my question. "Many untruths surround this "weapon". Firstly, this "weapon" is exclusive to Hell Guardians. I'm not sure what trouble Keisuke went to obtain one, but that is beside the point. The Seed of Desire is used for when a Hell Guardian wants the spirit/demon energy of an individual. They approach their prey with the knowledge of what the individual would like to possess or accomplish. After that, the seed is supposed to be inserted directly in the heart. It's debatable why Famine would insert the Seed in Lady Natsumi's arm..." Hisato trailed off, looking in a general direction, possibly seeing a vision. "It's seems Yusuke, Kuwabara and you all had contact with the Seed after Kuwabara's fight. Yes. That is why your emotions were getting the better of you." Hisato changed his attention to Natsumi. "Of course, you would have no idea it was because of you the guys were acting strange." he laughed.  
"Back to the matter of the Seed being inserted in the heart." I pressed.  
"Ah, yes. The seed has a mind of its own, so it decides when it wants to grant its user the desire. However, Keisuke may have had a way for it to instead _take_ her power instead of granting it, forcing Lady Natsumi to become weaker and weaker after each encounter."  
"What about Phoenix?!" Natsumi blurted out.  
"Let's say this was a normal seed. What happens?"  
"If it were a normal seed, Keisuke would be dead and so would Lady Natsumi. From there, Phoenix would have a normal demon lifespan and at the end of that lifespan, seal herself into another Lavastone for someone else to come along and see if they can cohabit a body together."  
I turned my gaze to Natsumi, who was already dozing off in her sitting position. I clenched my right hand into a fist. That bastard. _He purposefully is toying with her._  
"Is there anything else I can assist you with, Lord Hiei?"  
"That would be all."  
"I'll be on my way then. If you need anything, you can find me in a cave near the waters edge." Hisato stood up and dusted himself off, before disappearing into the trees.

I scooped up Natsumi and walked with her in my arms. Something in me wanted to take things slow and enjoy the little moment that Natsumi and I had, before dawn approached. I found a tree that was near the fighting arena, and jumped onto a branch. I expertly shifted sleeping Natsumi in my arms as I sat down on the branch and placed Natsumi on my lap. With my back against the trunk of the tree, I tilted my head back and looked up at the sky. Natsumi snuggled her head in the left side of my chest, her hair threatening to tickle my neck. In this moment, where it was me and her, is all that I knew I craved. Somehow Natsumi, the foolhardy demon, is the one thing that I never knew that I wanted. I never thought that she would be the one thing that I needed. All my concerns began to melt away as her rhythmic breathing became the one thing that I could hear, and I could feel my breathing syncing with hers._ Tomorrow we will see how our opponents do battle._

Natsumi's POV

I woke up as I felt the sun's rays peeking through the leaves of the tree. _Tree?_ I moved my head to look where I was and I heard a soft growl behind me. I went to get up and the grip that was on my waist tightened and tugged me back. I returned to my comfortable position, snuggled with Hiei. I yawned.  
"I wish to watch the other fighters today."  
"We will. Five more minutes."  
I began to think on the late night we had, from the fight with Kurama, to the fight with Keisuke, to Hisato showing up. _What were we talking about? I can't remember..._

Five minutes was plenty of time for me to dwell on what happened last night. Hiei wouldn't talk to me about it when we were relaxing together and then when he was about to tell me, Kurama spotted us and we all walked to the arena together. The announcer called the teams, Team Uriatogi versus Team Gokai Six. Kurama, Hiei and me decided to view the fights from the third story balcony. Kurama was standing with his left hand in his pocket, Hiei had both of his hands tucked in his cape pockets, and I was leaning on the railing, with my right arm over my left.

Up first was a tall blond male that had a bandana with a symbol on it. He also wore a light purple vest that had two of the symbols on either side of the vest and a huge symbol on the back of the vest, some kind of strange belt, reddish pants and black boots. Kurama was able to briefly tell me it was called a 'spade' and that it probably meant that the demon thought himself to be the highest card in a human game that had four suites of cards. He was battling a cat like demon and won by knockout. The second round immediately began. A demon with dark skin, pink lips, and short wavy black hair turned his right hand into a masakari and charged the snake demon. In an instant, the fight was over, Team Uriatogi won by delivering a fatality. Next on the arena, an old man charged at the blue haired demon, delivering a right kick to the blue haired demons' jaw. Team Uriatogi was in the lead three to zero.  
"That was amazing! If you blinked you missed quite a match, in less than two minutes, Team Uriatogi crushed Team Gokai Six! Shutting them out completely, that's _gotta_ be embarrassing!" the announcer called out.  
Below us, I could hear all the complaints that the demons were making in the seats. I rolled my eyes and exhaled a frustrated breath.  
The old man stepped into the arena and it looked like he asked the two remaining demons if they wanted to fight. From their body language, it was negative. More talking could be seen and the light haired, white clothed demon pointed suddenly to our direction on the third balcony. My anger flared and I balled my right hand into a fist. Team Uriatogi sauntered off of the field and retreated into the rest area.  
"What an arrogant fool." Hiei turned to look back out into the stadium.

"Well well well! Look who it is" Kuwabara's voice echoed behind us.  
"Hello." Kurama greeted.  
Kurama was a bit taken aback, Hiei slightly turned his head to the left and I turned to my right, keeping my arms crossed against my chest so no one could see my wound and did almost a full circle to see Yusuke, a thing on top of Yusuke's head, Kuwabara, Botan, and the masked fighter.  
"Guess you guys had the same idea we do about scoping out the competition for the Semi-Finals." Kuwabara stated.  
"Had the same idea. The fight is over." Kurama corrected.  
"What?!" Kuwabara and Botan said simultaneously.  
"That means that you guys are going to fight this team tomorrow, right?" I asked, staring at the thing on top of Yusuke's head.  
As if on cue, the announcer confirmed that Team Urameshi will be fighting Team Uriatogi.  
"This is unbelievable. I mean, I can't believe we missed the entire fight just because I took a couple of extra minutes to brush my teeth.." Kuwabara trailed off.  
"It was an impressive sight to behold." Kurama admitted.  
"Though I'm sure your minty fresh breath was well worth the delay, what is that ridiculous appendage growing out of your head all about?" Hiei had noticed what I was staring at.  
"It's just a puberty thing, okay?" Yusuke retorted.  
"The adult humans I was forced to be around never grew such odd things out of their bodies like that. Are you sure that's normal? Maybe you need to see a medic?" I questioned Yusuke.  
"What? No, I'm fine, really. So Kurama, how is your wound treating you?" Yusuke turned to look at Kurama.  
"It will be fine, I will be fighting again tomorrow." Kurama assured Yusuke.  
"Hn, seems it's not as bad as you made us think." Hiei smirked at Kurama.  
"Compared with your energy loss, no, it seems it's not." Kurama nonchalantly shot back.  
"Hn." Hiei narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze back to the arena.  
"Hey! I got an idea you guys! Ask Yukina to use her healing power! She's amazing as soon as she touches you, you'll feel better than you ever have before! And she's pretty too!"  
At the mention of Yukina, Hiei's eyes widened and he recoiled slightly.  
_I seen it_. No one pays much attention to Hiei, which made it perfect for his reaction to go unnoticed. _Except by me._  
"She's actually partially here to look for her long lost estranged brother. I'm going to help her look for him just as soon as we win this tournament!"  
As Kuwabara continued to talk, Botan had a look of worried disbelief as Kuwabara still didn't know the truth. Yusuke had this smart-ass grin on his face as he side-eyed Hiei.  
Kurama stepped forward to Hiei. "Yukina's brother! Yes sounds like a noble cause! We should assist her too, Hiei."  
Yusuke joined in, "Yeah, you can even lend an eye!"  
Hiei's body language had said he had enough of the banter. He closed his eyes and stiffened his shoulders. "Argh will you shut up!"  
Kurama and Yusuke continued to chuckle at Hiei's expense.  
Kuwabara sensed something was up. "Wait, what's going on here? Am I missing something? What are you guys not telling me? What do you keep laughing about anyway?"  
"Knock it off you two, or I will be sure to paralyze you until tomorrow." I growled, uncrossing my arms to reach for my daggers.  
Oh it's all in good-God Natsumi! What the hell happened to you?!" Yusuke yelled.  
"Training gone wrong, pay no mind to it." I lied.  
"At least heal yourself and get a change of clothes." Yusuke said.  
"As flattered as I am about you caring for my health, this is the mark of a true warrior and I couldn't care less about upholding to your aesthetic values."  
"Understandable Natsumi, but you should heal that wound if nothing else." Botan joined the conversation.

The air in the crowd had suddenly shifted, and I felt the uneasy sensation of someone staring at the back of my head. I turned around to see that standing directly across from us on the other side, was Team Toguro.  
The demons below us began chant, "Toguro! Toguro! Toguro!"  
Younger Toguro lifted his right arm and pointed his right index finger, scanning over Kurama, Hiei, me and stopping on Yusuke, before he pointed back to himself. I felt Yusuke's fear, his heartbeat increase, saw him stiffen up, and I took action. I jumped on the railing in front me and turned my back towards the Toguro team. I twisted my torso to the right and gave my behind two powerful slaps, keeping my eyes on Younger Toguro as I taunted his team. This gave Yusuke his nerve back as he smiled and did a thumbs up motion, dragging his thumb across the left of his neck over to the right, before turning it into a thumbs down motion. Younger Toguro smirked and left with his team.  
Kuwabara was the first to speak up about his fears. "No...this can't be. How could I've missed it for so long, they must have shielded their energy from detection. I feel so... lightheaded." He collapsed onto the ground, shaking and gripping the railing tightly. "We can't compete with these guys Urameshi, what are we going to do?"  
I hopped off of the railing and pushed myself past Yusuke to kneel at Kuwabara's right side.  
"Hey" I said softly, reaching my right hand on his left shoulder. "I'll tell you what you're going to do." I moved my hand from Kuwabara's shoulder to the left side of his face, cupping it for a moment. **SLAP.** It was one of the swiftest backhands I had ever given, forcing Kuwabara to release his grip on the railing and fall on his back. "You are going to go out there tomorrow and you will fight like the warrior you claim you are! The Shattered Skull clan would never associate with ones with cowardice such as yours. If I have to kill you to ensure the success of our team and family, I won't hesitate." I yelled in Kuwabara's face. I then rounded on Yusuke who was watching me yell at his friend. "Get him together, Detective, or watch him die and I take his place. I refuse to see you all killed because of a weak link."  
I pushed past Yusuke and sprinted out of the stadium, uninterested in the fights that were taking place.

Keisuke's POV

I watched Natsumi in amusement as she ripped into one of the team members, calling him out on his weakness. As she pushed past the leader and sprinted out, I had to open more seeing portals to watch her movements and where she was headed. _She's gotten fast._ I smirked to myself as I watched her run to a massive boulder and jump on top of it. She then sat down, her legs bent to keep her in place and she clutched her chest with her left hand. I opened another viewing portal so it was as if I was next to her. Her breathing was labored as she pulled her hand away from her chest and tilted it up so she could look at it. Fresh blood covered her hand and she returned it to hold the hole in her chest. She leaned back and fell into a fit of coughing attacks, as the blood slid back inside of her body. She threw her torso forward and continued to pant. Her eyes were glassy and she closed them tightly as she writhed in pain.  
"Argh!" she cried, bringing her bloodied hand to her face, holding her left side of her head as she slowly rocked back and forth. With the palm of her hand, she rubbed her top fang and with her fingers she pressed down on her skull. She opened her eyes, now glazed over from the blood loss. "Damn...you...Keisuke.." she whispered as her eyes closed and her body slumped forward and tumbled off the boulder. Natsumi's body fell onto a smaller rock, narrowly missing her right eye as her brow was sliced open from a pointy part the rock had.

I could hear footsteps approaching so I rose from my seated position and walked around my chair, my back facing the back of the chair. Pestilence sauntered through the portal, a playful grin was on her face.  
"I'm pleased to hear that my experiment was a success." she greeted me.  
"For now, it seems that way. What have you learned of Natsumi's blood?"  
Pestilence coyly smiled as she walked past me to gaze into my viewing portal, observing Natsumi. "I have confirmed that she isn't "normal" by definition." she used air quotes as she turned to face me. "You told me that as far as you know, her parents were nothing extraordinary."  
"Get to the point." I ordered, my short temper was reaching its limit.  
"Ugh, it's such a shame that you couldn't care less for science." she rolled her eyes and pouted. "To be completely honest, Natsumi's parents weren't her true kin. Her blood confirms that she has darkness and light in her. She is," Pestilence paused and smiled at my impatience, "Heaven's Devil. The one soul that was given life from the Father of Light and conceived by the Mother of Darkness."  
"That's impossible! There was no way that the two beings could ever meet!" I roared as I knocked over the chair that was beside me.  
"Her existence claims otherwise." Pestilence smiled and stepped around the room to where the portal was and exited.

I was livid. _Just when I thought I had the upper hand in this._  
"DAMN IT ALL!" I bellowed in the room. I took out my axes and began to channel my anger out on anything that was nearby. The chair had been split up in many pieces and the walls had cuts and holes in various places. I was out of breath for using such force in a little amount of time. I walked on over to my viewing portal, that showed Natsumi still knocked out, her blood dripping down the rock made it look like she had died there.  
"It's time you know the truth, clan killer." I grinned as I strapped my axes to my back and exited out of my portal.

Natsumi's POV

I opened my left eye and inhaled a breath of air. I coughed and whimpered as I felt the hole in my chest leak out more blood. _Why is my right eye refusing to open?_ I forced myself to open my eye and I felt an immediate pain in my brow. I shut my right eye tightly and began to look around with my left. I felt so incredibly weak. _How long have I been out?_ I tilted my head up to look at the sky. Dark, black clouds had rolled in. I felt a very powerful blast that was heading right towards me. I got in a push up position, tucked in my head and rolled myself off of the rock. I fell clumsily on my right ankle and gasped in pain. The blast was blowing debris all around. I scrambled to get up, using my left leg to propel myself out of the way, but the blast was coming in too fast. The rock I was on was instantly shattered and I was thrown a few miles to my right. I landed on my left side in some bushes, thankful that I protected my chest. I rolled myself up and out of of the bushes before lying on my back and sprawling out. A gust of wind picked up and the clouds had thunder and lightening. All at once, rain started pouring from the sky.  
"Seriously?!" I yelled at the sky and rolled over and on my hands and knees. I stood up and hobbled to a nearby tree, to see which direction the hotel was in. My chest continued to gush blood so I summoned my demon energy in my right hand and inched it closer to my chest.  
_"Natsumi, you can't!"_ Phoenix ordered.  
_"Why not? I have to heal...I can't fight like this."_  
_"The Seed of Desire will feed off your power and you will never get it back."_  
_"It's a small price to pay, Phoenix. If Keisuke were to show up, I wouldn't have a chance at all."_  
_"I understand you feel the need to heal yourself, but is it worth you losing your power forever?"_  
_"This wound hasn't healed at all, and I would think you of all would notice. I'm just healing it so I can stop hemorrhaging all over."_  
_"If this is what you wish.." _Phoenix conceded with a worried tone.  
I touched my chest with my right hand, the wound healing so there wasn't a hole anymore. My stomach felt queasy and I felt the energy that I used vanish. I could hear laughter in the depths of my mind.

_"We got her! We got her!"_  
I shook my head and started to limp back to the hotel. Although the rain echoed all around me, I could have sworn I heard Yusuke's voice call out;  
"Come on Genkai! What am I supposed to do?!"

Hiei's POV

_What is taking her so long?_ I wondered as I stared through the window from my seat. I watched the rain pour down as I searched for any sign of Natsumi, even glancing in the window if she were going to saunter in our room at any moment.  
"..So hey. Urameshi and the masked lady sure have been gone a long time." Kuwabara's voice broke the silence.  
"Indeed." Kurama agreed.  
"Kurama, what do you think about our chances? Two more rounds and we get to go home." Kuwabara questioned.  
That comment of Kuwabara's sent my memory to earlier this morning at the arena. The disgusting display of fear he showed and how Natsumi was the one to start our team meeting later that day. Of course, Natsumi always seems to have a way to implement a change, even if she is nowhere to be found. I had remained silent at the meeting as Yusuke and the masked fighter got into an argument and they stalked outside to set out their differences. My mind went back to Natsumi, her wound, and where she might be. I had a mind to use my Jagan eye when Botan, Yukina, Keiko and Shizuru entered our room. Natsumi wasn't with them.

As everyone else was playing a card game, I began to develop a strategy for tomorrow's fight. If Yusuke and the masked fighter had not returned by the time the fight starts, it would be up to Kurama and myself. Natsumi is a variable in this case since I haven't seen her since this morning, but she couldn't be counted unless one of our original team members die. My thoughts were interrupted again, although this time by Kurama.  
"Come, join us Hiei. We're practically a family here." he taunted.  
I stiffened at his comment, knowing full well what he was getting at. "Kurama, don't make me pull out your precious voicebox!" I threatened.  
Kurama chuckled to himself and turned his attention on playing the card game with the rest of the group. I turned my attention back to the window, on the lookout for any sign of Natsumi.

Natsumi's POV

The rain was coming down harder and the cold began to set in. I was determined to get to the hotel, to get dry, and tend to my right ankle. I stuck out my right hand and I could barely see it in front of me. I began to shiver as I took a few more steps, before my hand felt something. I squinted to see what or who it was, but instead my right wrist was gripped and I was pulled inside of something.

I had no idea where I was as I stood somewhere that was out of the rain. I was shivering and turning to look in all directions, trying to see anything in the dark. There was a muffled sound and then a bright light filled the entire place, forcing me to shield my eyes. After a few seconds, I uncovered my eyes and began to look around, I was in some type of mountain. It felt familiar but I couldn't place why. The walls had paintings and words on them, and I limped over to get a better look. The words were in my language and it was how the history of the Shattered Skull began.

_"There were several demon tribes that had worked together for thousands of years. They hunted, traded and gathered with one another peacefully. The leader of the tribes lived a long life, but he was not immune to death. On his deathbed he had a vision, the other leaders would fight for power and turn the tribes into ruin. He confided this vision to his assistant, Akira, and bid him to tell them tribes it would be best to separate. Akira did as he was bade, and took a handful of demons that wanted to join him in the mountains of demon world. He promised order, peace and all the demons would have to do in return was acknowledge he was the ruler. He named the clan Shattered Skull, because that was how he wanted to identify the clan's kills. Years went by, Akira led his people to greatness by killing any opposition, found a mate and had four strong sons. Two had left the clan in search of greatness, while two remained in the clan. Akira, who was getting older and about to pass, was going to select the youngest brother to lead the clan. That didn't sit well with the other brother, Kenta. In a rage, Kenta murdered his brother, mother and father. He rallied the clan and accused a neighboring clan of the deed. After the Shattered Skull annihilated the neighboring clan, Kenta chose a mate and she bore one son, Keisuke. The story of the Shattered Skull is bloody, filled with lies and betrayals..."_

The writing had ended, and I took a step back. I was never one to get involved into politics but it felt like my eyes were open and seeing everything. The hunts that the warriors would go on, how new demon women would be "found wandering around", the chieftain's will to have every clan member able to hold their own in battle. I had stopped shivering and turned around to explore more of the place I was in. Keisuke was right behind me, and I had not sensed him at all.  
"Welcome home." he grinned.


	13. Chapter 13

My eyes widened in surprise then narrowed as I confirmed it was Keisuke.

"What do you want with me?!" I raised my voice and lowered myself into a defensive stance, careful not to put too much pressure on my right ankle.

"You continue to ask the same question and I continue to tell you the same answer. I. Want. You." Keisuke's mouth twitched as he fought his grin.

"I get that. But WHY? What about my power or whatever that makes you want me so badly? Surely there are other demons you could harass."

Keisuke allowed himself to grin, showing off a set of perfect teeth. "Did you know that everyday you learn something new?"

"Answer my questions." I said flatly.

"I am. You see, I was under the impression that I wanted you because you never wanted me. To obtain something that has resisted for so long, is exciting, of course. A challenge, if you will. But then I learned something _very_ interesting about you."

"I don't care to know what you think you've learned about me."

Keisuke threw his head back and laughed, a booming chuckle that echoed off of the walls and had my ears ringing. "You're not going to learn about yourself. You're going to learn about me." Keisuke straightened himself and began to walk towards me.

I sprinted to my left to create space from Keisuke and any tricks that he might have had thought for me. Keisuke let out a breath and slowly turned to face my direction with a sinister look on his face.

"Too slow." Keisuke taunted.

I didn't realize what was happening until I felt my right foot get tugged out from under me and I was being pulled to where Keisuke was standing. Keisuke's violet shadows entangled themselves around me and tightened as I attempted to release myself from their grip. Keisuke used the shadows to lift me up so I could be at his eye level.

"I'm sure you-" Keisuke stopped mid sentence and leaned his face close to mine.

"Fangs?!" he roared. I closed my eyes as his voice echoed once again in the room. I suddenly felt nauseous, like the room was spinning rapidly around me. I slightly opened my left eye to see that Keisuke was still near my face.

"That male demon's scent is all over you. He is weak compared to me." Keisuke said near my left ear.

My body unwillingly shuddered, the feeling of a chill running down my back is the reaction that Keisuke was looking for. He pulled his head back and cocked it to his left side and smirked. I felt the shadows pull me to the wall, releasing me from the cocoon I was wrapped in. Without wasting a second, I reached for my daggers and pulled them out, only for the shadows to force my arms and back against the wall with the writing on it. Keisuke took his time walking over to where I was, his eyes amused as I continued to struggle against the shadow bonds.

"He's stronger than you are, Keisuke. You wouldn't have a chance of defeating him." I smirked as I watched the amusement in Keisuke's eyes disappear as he closed his eyes.

"He can not best a _God, _Natsumi." Keisuke opened his eyes to reveal his golden irises, but the sclerae were black.

"It can't be..." I trailed off, losing words completely.

Keisuke reached out his right hand, resting it on where my wound was before I healed myself. My armor was still cracked as I didn't repair it. In one swift downward motion, my armor was ripped from my chest, my arms buckling from the force. I bit my lower lip to keep from making a sound and lifted my head to look into Keisuke's eyes.

"At first, I was hesitant to take the power of a God. Especially one that was so interested in you as well." Keisuke admitted, throwing the leather off to the side. I watched as his eyes drifted from my eyes down to where my chest wrappings were. "He assured me that your body is more than capable of handling anything that is thrust at you." Keisuke brought his eyes up to meet mine and winked at me.

I closed my eyes, discreetly calling for Phoenix's aid in my mind. Phoenix answered my call and became one with me when I opened my eyes.

"To everything, a name is given. What is yours, or what do most know you by?" I questioned.

"So good of you to join us, Phoenix." Keisuke's courtesy was anything but courteous.

"I had no idea that among us walked another God." My face gave no emotion as my voice was calm.

"I wouldn't expect you to, considering you only show up when a new era is born. But what of that, now that Natsumi's soul is linked to you, and you to it?" Keisuke crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I've wondered that myself, although I'm not too terribly concerned." I admitted. "The future looks bright as ever."

"So optimistic. Tell us the truth though, Phoenix. I implore you." Keisuke said with a grin.

I felt my heart skip a beat and I knew she was hiding something.

"_Phoenix, what is he talking about?"_

"Tell her, how you know how the end will be, because you have seen it time and again. Does she know that you are vulnerable?"

"_What does he mean?"_

"My my, Phoenix, I'm quite disappointed. Allow me to tell her."

"She knows already, you needn't say more."

"_Know what?!"_

Keisuke chuckled. "Her eyes tell me differently. Natsumi, when you use your demon power, it gets sucked inside the Seed, correct?"

He waited for my head nod before he continued. "If you were to exhaust your power, you yourself would be inside the Seed, and Phoenix would be the one in control of your body. If that were to happen...your body would begin to age much sooner than it should, until one day, Phoenix will find her a more sturdy place to rest her energies as your body withers away."

I clenched my teeth as Keisuke informed me on what would happen if I were to use my energy up. All along, this trick had been set up...but by whom? Keisuke was never the planning type, someone had to have given him a direction to go in.

"I never got your name." I relaxed my mouth and stared blankly at Keisuke.

"Kirin, the white Tiger, ruler of the West, watcher of the Autumn season, and formerly the guardian of the King and Queen." Keisuke took a grand bow before me before straightening himself up.

"_It can't be...he's alive? After all these years?" _Phoenix gasped.

"_Gods can die? Never mind that question, I've never heard of him, who is he?"_

I felt Phoenix taking control over my body. "I had thought you had perished in the war of the seven. How do I know you are not a conglomeration of lesser Gods?"

"My Queen," Kirin began, "I am THE God of War. None have been able to best me in my strength and strategy." Kirin's face was mere inches from mine.

"_I've never heard of him before." _I mumbled to Phoenix.

"You need not call me by my title if you are my former guardian."

"My fight is not with you, my Queen. My fight will be with the King." Kirin's right hand cupped my cheek and forced me to look into his eyes.

"Then your fight will be with me as well. I refuse to take your threat lightly. I would never betray my King, in love or loyalty." Phoenix bristled.

"I had a feeling you would say that. How are you going to escape my grasp, without using yours or Natsumi's energy?" Kirin removed his hand from my face and crossed his arms and studied me.

"_He kinda has a point. Plus, it's not like we are in the best shape to be fighting right now."_

"_You're not helping, Natsumi."_

"_At least I don't hold anything back from you."_ I snapped.

"_I was going to tell you before you got dragged in this!"_

While Phoenix and me were arguing with each other in my head, Kirin had created a portal to another location. Phoenix was caught off guard when she felt we were being moved into the portal. I turned my attention to what was on the other side. We were in a temple of some sort, a large rectangular room with many pillars adorned with jewels,gold and paintings. Kirin had released us from his shadow hold and we were free to walk around the room.

"What is this place?" Phoenix and I asked in sync with one another, turning to look at Kirin.

"I'm not a very good teacher when I have to explain things." Kirin winked at us before going into a quick stride and passing my body to look at a great painting on the center wall.

Curious, I made my way over to where Kirin was standing, ignoring Phoenix's warnings. The picture showed four mythical creatures. At the very top, pointing North, was a green Tortoise with a royal blue shell in the water. To the right, facing East, was a black Dragon in a wooded area. Going South, a red bird hovered over a dry field. To the left, facing West, a white Tiger was crouched on top of a grave, holding the fallen soldiers sword in his mouth. In the middle, was a painting of a world.

"_We are the four guardians of the four compass directions." _Phoenix began. _"__We all have a representation of a direction, season, color, and element."_

"_Why did you ask what this place was, then?"_

"_Just because I know of the Gods doesn't mean I can say the same for locations." Phoenix shot back._

"Now ladies, pay attention because things get more interesting." Kirin interrupted our mental argument. "The tortoise, the dragon, myself and the phoenix; we are the true Shisin."

"There are false ones?" I smirked and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Demon world knew of them, they were referred to as the Saint Beasts." Kirin said, watching my expression change.

"_Saint Beasts...Where have I..." _I thought.

"_...We began making our way to Maze Castle without much incident. Yusuke asked me what I knew of the Saint Beasts..." _Kurama's voice echoed in my head as I remembered sitting down with him in the complex's kitchen.

"Genbu, Byakko, Seiryu and Suzaku. Starting to sound familiar?" Kirin raised an eyebrow at me.

"_Suzaku..."_ Phoenix's tone softened.

"The names do." I admitted.

"Genbu was the mixed child of Tortoise. Byakko was my offspring. Seiryu was the Dragon's and Suzaku..."

"Was Phoenix's." I finished. "So then why did Demon world think they were the true Shishin?

"Simple. They had their own bodies. It is always easier to believe something when it's tangible."

I uncrossed my arms and took a couple steps back, feeling as though I had been punched in the stomach. I began to do breathing exercises to regain control.

"_They all perished at the hands of my team."_

"_You didn't know, Natsumi." _Phoenix remained somber.

"_This was another thing you were going to keep from me?!" _My tone rose at her in my head_._

"Demon World knows they no longer inhabit Maze Castle, or their living realm. Word had gotten out about a Spirit Detective by the name Yusuke Urameshi and his team of demons that defeated the Saint Beasts."

"Yusuke's a big deal now, what's your point?" I snapped.

"Demon World needs to know that we are the ones in power. That we are the ones they can turn to for aid when humans threaten our kind."

"Yusuke does what the Boss orders. If demons aren't following the rules, they get punished. How do they need aid from something they could have prevented?"

"This is coming from a thief."

I felt my anger rise at an alarming rate, my thirst for blood began to increase. My mouth was wet, my salivary glands increased production of my saliva. My vision blurred out everything except for Kirin/Keisuke. Since I couldn't exactly take my anger out on Phoenix for withholding information- **critical** **information**\- I would settle for Keisuke and the deity inside of him, Kirin.

"This brings back memories as well." Keisuke's eyes were back to normal.

Saying nothing, I ignored the pain in my ankle as I stood as tall as I could, using my demon power to create heat around me. The heat intensified and turned to flame swirls that danced around my body.

"The truth is, Natsumi, you killed the clan."

His comment enraged me. "I did no such thing!" I yelled, increasing my power and preparing to fight.

"What happened? Can you tell me?" Keisuke grinned and prepared himself by readying his weapons.

"I came back to see my brother! The city was being torn apart by you and your friends!" I screamed, warping to the left and again to the right, landing a solid punch with a lick of fire on Keisuke's jaw.

"You senseless girl! You were this bloodthirsty before you arrived to the village!" Keisuke roared once he had recovered from my blow. "You know how I know this? Because me and my _friends_ were trying to stop you!" A mighty crash was heard from Keisuke's ax as it missed me by mere inches, cutting through a pillar.

"I not that naïve, Keisuke. Rocks aren't lifted from the ground to stop someone, even if they were this livid." I threw a punch but it was blocked. A slap caused me to be thrown to my left.

Keisuke pulled his ax from the pillar and charged at me. "You really don't remember a damned thing, do you woman?!" Shadow tendrils swarmed out from Keisuke and darted towards me. I picked myself up and began to sprint away from the tendrils. I dove to the ground when I heard a whooshing sound behind me. I felt pain in my right ankle as the ax's blade got me.

"_Damn!"_

"_We need to think this through Natsumi."_

"_Okay thought about it. I'm going to kill him."_

"_Natsumi-"_

I cut off the conversation. I somersaulted forward and charged straight for Keisuke. I made two flame daggers and threw them before warping to my right.

Engaging in combat was not the wisest choice. I felt my power getting sucked into the Seed. Every attack, every healed wound were counting up and leaving me weaker. The only thing I could do was run. Run around in a rectangular room, dodging shadows, axes and man that turns an accusation made for him, on me. Careless moves couldn't be afforded, not when I had very little energy to do much else. A portal had formed under me and Keisuke's hand grabbed my ankle and pulled me down into it. _Well, that was careless._

Keisuke's shadows wrapped themselves around me, constricting my body. "Now, you will know the truth. My father's adviser had convinced him that rogues were not to be trusted nor were they needed. My father listened to the words and declared that your teacher, her students that were currently studying, and you, if you were to ever return and refuse to accept the Phoenix, were to be executed."

I felt my chest begin to pound. _"__No, not now. Please not now."_ I thought to myself. I bit down on my lower lip, blood beginning to trickle down my chin as I was fighting the twisting feeling inside of my chest. A violet swirl came up from my skin and began to spread itself up my arm to the top of my shoulder before retreating back in my skin.

I turned my head so I wouldn't have to look at Keisuke's face. His lie was convincing, I began to pull a picture from a deep part of my mind.

_I was returning home, with some herbs that my brother would use for his powers. I heard screams and ran to investigate. There I witnessed the adviser torturing fellow rogues of my guild, using two warrior brutes to hold a victim while the adviser took his time with the killing. Something in me had snapped, power began to surge through my body and I found myself charging forward, the world fading away until all I could see was the persons that I wanted to kill. Within seconds, three bodies fell to the ground. Movement was all I saw and I struck, again and again, eliminating anything that moved. The Chief, he was the one responsible for this. I ran faster as my world seemed to be dripping with blood. Movement all around. No movement was friendly. I thrashed, slashed and let the blood spill into the streets. I had to get to the Chief's hut. He was the one responsible. Movement on my right. I struck, my dagger piercing through the sternum of my enemy. I heard a choked cry. I removed my dagger and sheathed it, turning to face the thud that was on the ground._

"_Natsumi...why?"_

_My vision slowly widened. A girl, my age, with tan skin, bright pink pixie hair and eyes colored as green as the trees of pine. Those pine colored eyes began to well up with water and tears fell from the sides of her eyes. My best friend, Moriko. I widened my eyes and dropped to the ground, taking her upper body and resting it up on my lap. _

"_It's going to be okay Moriko." I said shakily, assessing her wound. My eyes burned as I fought the urge to well up with tears._

"_Natsumi, it's not. Listen, you weren't yourself a few moments ago. Just because our chieftain is a monster...don't," she gasped in pain, her eyes rolled back for a few seconds before snapping back to look me in the eyes. Her right hand snatched my shirt and pulled me down so my ear was right next to her mouth. "Don't become a monster like him." _

_I felt her grip loosen on my shirt and her arm fell lifelessly to the dirt. "Morkio?" I cleared my throat and gave her body a hug, the smell of citrus flowers filled my nostrils._

_There was no reply. I gently placed Moriko's torso on the ground. Just then, rocks began to hurl towards me. I dodged them and ran into one of the main streets. My vision was no longer narrowed and the world returned to color after being drenched in red._

I had calmed down considerably while the flashback played in my head. Part of me didn't want to believe that this happened, the other part knew it did and the truth mocked me. My eyes felt dry, as if something had sucked out the moisture in them. The tendrils had relaxed their grip, and I moved my head to assess the current situation. Keisuke was leaning his shoulder against a wall, his eyes closed with an almost pained look on his face.

"I killed my father for you." he said quietly.

"Keisuke," I began.

"I have done more for you than the one you chose over me." Keisuke opened his eyes and looked directly at me.

"Keisuke," I started again hoping that this time he would allow me to talk.

"Him, of all the demons to choose from? It must be how tall he is." Keisuke said sarcastically.

"Enough!" I yelled, snapping Keisuke out of his thinking out loud. "Firstly, it doesn't concern you who I choose. Second, I never asked for you to do anything for me, except leave me alone. Seeing as you fail do that, I have nothing else to say except-" I froze.

An enormous power seemed to blow towards me, although in this place Keisuke hadn't powered up. My eyes widened and I started breathing heavily, sucking in as much air as I could. It didn't seem to matter how much air I breathed in, it wasn't enough. I began to panic and struggled against the tendrils that had tightened around me during my outburst. Something didn't feel right, I had to get back to the island. I couldn't describe this feeling other than something terrible was happening. I didn't want to think the worst but the word "death" would find its way into my thoughts. I began to power up, using most of my energy to use my flames to burn the shadows from the inside.

"How are you still able to fight?" Keisuke asked with a shocked expression on his face, as he summoned more shadows to confine me.

I roared a battle cry and broke free of Keisuke's hold. The shadows were no match for my flames as I sprinted to gather my daggers and leap through the portal. My feet blurred as I pushed myself to my absolute fastest speed. The portal was closing and I dove through it before it had disappeared completely.

I tumbled out of the portal and realized I was near the hotel. The power was stronger now but it was not in this direction. I used my fastest run for five more seconds, before I was at a comfortable running pace. All at once, the ground began to tremble, then shake violently. I jumped up in the trees so I wouldn't lose my footing or precious time to help with the fight going on. A spirit blast could be seen from the sky and I knew that energy belonged to Genkai. This other energy was the younger Toguro's. I pushed myself to try to go faster to reach her in time. A spirit wave was shot out. The wind picked up and it had pushed me back enough that I lost my footing on the tree branch. I fell backwards on my back and saw a familiar redhead looking down at me.

"Are you okay?" Kurama asked.

"It's Genkai, she's-" I started.

What felt like a constant rhythm that was always around me, suddenly stopped. Genkai was no longer a part of the living world. I remained on the ground, in shock, knowing that Genkai had been killed.

"Her energy is completely gone." Kurama observed.

"That damned Toguro! I'll make him pay for that!" I snarled as I sat up.

"You know as well as I, this fight is Yusuke's."

"My fight is with everyone that dragged us to this place! I will fight them all!"

"Natsumi, you barely have any energy as it is. Where have you been? And where is your shirt?"

"Getting kidnapped and fighting for my life. The shirt was a small price for freedom."

"Glad to see you're okay, besides that new tattoo of yours. How did you manage to escape?"

"Let's not worry about me. Should we find Yusuke?"

"Something tells me he is there with her."

Kurama's words began to fade in and out. The wind continued to blow and another storm was approaching.

_I was in the mountain compound that Genkai lived. I was watching her make tea in the kitchen._

"_Are you going to stand there and stare or are you going to ask for some tea?" Genkai turned towards me with a cup in each hand. She extended a cup after I had asked for tea. Yusuke had gotten up and was stomping his way to the table. Yusuke sat down and yawned loudly, Genkai's face softened for a second, looking at Yusuke the way my mother did to my brother._

_The scene changed, Yusuke and me were training together and separately. Genkai had me training on more speed combat while Yusuke took strength combat. That didn't mean she went easy on me. I ran through the trapped maze, dodging, ducking, dipping, diving and flipping to avoid attacks. _

_So many memories flooding my mind with Genkai. Most merged together but there were a few that stood out among the rest. The concern she had for me when Keisuke was terrorizing me in my sleep. Her talk with me about how far Phoenix and her go back, the chant that she learned to break the energy seals._

_Genkai always said she didn't like us kids. We were what Koenma didn't want to babysit at the time. Deep down, I knew she had a deep love and respect for Yusuke, even if it was a curious way to show it. For me, she showed me she cared for telling me where I was weak, what I needed to improve on, she helped me adapt better to fighting. She was a hell of a woman, and I respected her deeply because she could best any fighter that challenged her._

"Natsumi? Hello?" Kurama waved his hand over my face.

I instinctively grabbed his wrist to stop his hand before releasing him. I looked around the area we were in. We hadn't moved anywhere. My body gave an involuntary shudder as a breeze blew by.

"Is there something you want to talk about?" Kurama asked.

"No." My answer was extremely quick.

Kurama raised an eyebrow at me but said nothing.

I heard someone running towards us and immediately stood up and crossed my arms over my chest to cover myself, Kurama following my lead and standing up, keeping his arms at his sides.

"Kurama! Oh, and Natsumi! It's about time I've found one of you guys!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "Please tell me one of you seen Urameshi run by." Kuwabara stopped to catch his breath.

"No." Kurama said.

"Sorry." I responded.

Kuwabara crossed his arms in front of his chest. 'This is like one of those wild goose thingies. I was following some huge mega energy and then it all vanished. Genkai said some really weird things, and Yusuke got angry, so he followed her." Kuwabara looked from Kurama to me. His gaze lasted awhile as he realized that I didn't have my leather shirt on.

"Hey! Cool tattoo! But I thought you were with shrimp, why are you topless with Kurama?" Kuwabara pointed out.

"It's none of your concern what _Hiei_ and I are," I snapped and emphasized Hiei's name. "But back to Genkai and Yusuke, that would make more sense." I redirected Kuwabara's attention.

Kurama gave me a look and Kuwabara uncrossed his arms and lunged at me. "What makes more sense?! What do you know?"

I warped out of Kuwabara's way and zigzagged until I was on Kurama's right side. "I don't know anything about what you're speaking of. I happened to have an idea about something completely unrelated." I lied, shooting Kurama a look.

"If only there were a way we could report this finding to our other team member." Kurama lightly teased.

"I'm on it!" I volunteered.

Without saying another word, I dashed out to the area that Hiei favored to train at.

I entered the clearing where the rocks in the water were. Something was speeding towards me and I jumped out of the way and blocked my face with my forearms in a X. I felt the sharp, familiar burning sting as my left forearm got a slash from the attacker's sword. I grunted in pain.

"Too slow. You didn't even reach for your daggers to parry." Hiei chastised, sheathing his sword.

"It seemed Genkai knew she was going to die." I blurted out.

"Hn. Where is your shirt?"

"Is everyone more concerned with my shirt than about what just happened?" My voice rose slightly. "The younger Toguro killed Genkai! That was his power, just a few moments ago!" I uncrossed my arms from their defensive position, letting them fall to my sides.

"Who else saw you like this?" Hiei began clenching and unclenching his right fist, his eyes wandered to my new violet swirl tattoo.

"The shirt isn't important Hiei! I should have been there to do something!" I clenched my left hand into a tight fist. The blood from my cut quickened its trickle down to my hand.

"It's a waste of time to keep thinking about variables and what could have happened had you done something." Hiei let out a forced breath, his eyes glittered with a resolve.

"I don't know what to do anymore and before you even tell me, 'get stronger', I'll have you know that I- What the hell, Hiei?!" I jumped back to dodge a right hand hook from Hiei.

I felt his presence behind me and I jumped to my right, avoiding a roundhouse kick. I continued dodging Hiei's attacks and defending myself.

Hiei's POV

_At first I wanted to spar with her because I need to get stronger. Seeing her in her chest wrappings and her disregard to cover herself irritated me. The thought of anyone else seeing Natsumi like this infuriated my very being. _Without any warning, I began to attack Natsumi, knowing she needs to be present in the moment. _Her fear is her biggest weakness; but it is something she can get rid of. _I continued my assault on Natsumi, hoping to draw her in the moment of our fight. Her mind was preoccupied with other thoughts and I was getting snippets from her every time she dodged.

"_Saint Beasts were children." _One thought escaped Natsumi's mind.

Natsumi did a back flip and sprinted towards the trees. I followed close behind to see where she would go. When I saw the direction she was taking, I warped in front of her, cutting off her path. She threw a left hook at me, I caught her left forearm with my right hand to block but her fist grazed my jaw. _Damn, that hurt. She has gotten better._ I squeezed her forearm and watched her eyes widen in shock, In all of our spars, I was never one to use an injury to my advantage. Dragon was praising me, instigating me to continue to show her what I am truly capable of.

"_Clan killer." _Natsumi's thought rang out.

Natsumi was trying to tug away her left arm from me. When I didn't relent, she threw a right hook at me. I caught that before it got anywhere close to me. Still holding her left forearm and now her right fist, I walked forward and she backpedaled until I guided her back to a tree.

"Your arrogance is going to cost you greatly. Your shirt is important because other demons see that you are umarked." I watched Natsumi's reaction change from irritated to realization when she heard my words.

"Then mark me." her eyes met mine and she stood as tall as she could, challenging me.

"You do realize what you're telling me to do? There is no going back for either of us if we do this."

Natsumi smiled and gave me a quick kiss on my lips. "I'm all yours, Hiei."

Not wasting a second, I kissed her lips. There was no need for an introduction, as she parted her lips so she could meet my tongue, her eyes closed in pleasure. She lowered her right fist and placed her hand on my hip, her fingers pulling me closer to her. I closed my eyes and growled as her touch sent pleasurable sensations throughout my body and deepened our kiss, giving a little squeeze on her left forearm for good measure. She whimpered but stayed in her position, enjoying my dominance. I broke our kiss and opened my eyes, staring straight at her.

"Final warning." I said in a strained voice, fighting every urge to seal the bond immediately.

"I didn't stutter." she said breathlessly.

Those words came. The sweet form of consent sang loud and clear.

"I'm not going to go easy on you." I smirked.

"Neither am I." she shot back.

I all but ripped off my shirt, something primal in me was growing. The desires that I had suppressed for such a long time were being tapped into. It didn't matter that this wasn't either of us' first time experience, but it was an experience that we both shared each other for the first time.

Natsumi's POV

Inhaling sharply, I dug my fingernails into Hiei's back as he concluded our ritual by placing his mark on the right side of my neck. I let out my breath and leaned my head back on the tree that my back was against. I felt his tongue trace his mark one last time before his lips pressed softly, kissing it.

I was in such a daze, I didn't feel Hiei lift me up from our position and help me stand. _He wasn't lying when he said he wasn't going easy._

I snapped out of my daze when I felt my left forearm being touched; seeing Hiei wrapping it with one of the special cloths that Hisato had given to him.

"This is supposed to be for you.." I pouted.

"I have another one, in case these do work."

I watched Hiei as he expertly wrapped my forearm and I felt myself warming up to the slight blush that was rising. It was a sweet gesture since he knew I couldn't heal myself. I looked down and noticed I needed to get some clothes on, Hiei was already dressed.

Once my bandage was done, I grabbed my pants and chest wrappings and began to put them on. My mind was all over the place as I was thinking about what had happened and what I learned from Keisuke. I was unaware that Hiei was able to see my memories from our close encounter.

"Where do we go from here?" I turned towards Hiei, where he had his left shoulder leaning on a tree.

"Focus on the Dark Tournament and winning it." his reply was curt.

"I meant after this. About _us_."

"It's unbecoming to be co-dependent. Train hard, defeat your rival and then we'll see."

I tilted my head to the right to make sure I heard him correctly. What happened to the Hiei that said _I would be forever his mate_ just a few moments ago?

"Unbelievable." I attempted to summon my energy to show him that I wasn't weak but I stopped myself because I began to feel lightheaded. Instead, I shook my head at Hiei and turned to face another direction to hide the tears that were stinging my eyes from my failure. I felt a lump rise my my throat and I began to walk away, ignoring the feeling that I felt I was suffocating. I wasn't expecting Hiei to be romantic afterward but I certainly wasn't expecting that response either. I continued walking in the direction of the hotel, also ignoring a twisting, burning sensation going up my left leg. _I have to get stronger, else this seed is going to consume me._

I had reached the clearing where the hotel was when I felt a very large spirit energy power up. All at once, an enormous spirit gun was shot into the air, and I felt the mixture of Genkai's power with Yusuke's. I stopped walking to stare up at the sky, watching as this magnificent ball of energy blazed across the heavens. I smiled, knowing it was a tribute to Genkai and my hope renewed that he can beat the younger Toguro brother. I continued to walk inside the hotel, where it felt like everything had stopped and all eyes were on me. My right eye twitched and I sent a glare to everyone that wanted to look at me.

"A beautiful little bird shouldn't be out alone, especially when there are hungry cats around." a voice said from my right side.

I glanced to my right and rolled my eyes. Of course the elder Toguro would be here in the lounge area.

"Here I am. Take me." my voice dripped with venom as I turned myself to the elder Toguro, my arms open wide.

The elder Toguro laughed. "Fighting is forbidden here in the hotel."

"You act like I give a damn about your rules." I crossed my arms across my chest and glared.

"Silly girl. You won't come quietly to us. But, look at this! Did you come quietly when you got this?"

In a second, the elder Toguro's pointed finger shot out and stabbed me where Hiei's mark was.

I yelped in pain as the mark was reacting to the elder Toguro's finger. I dropped to my knees and wrapped my left hand around the extended finger and gave a blazing trail of fire up to the elder Toguro's shoulder. He retracted his finger out of my grip and struck me on the right side of my face, narrowly missing my eye.

"When I am finished slaughtering all the scum in this hotel, not even the spirits of Hell would haunt this place." I growled, lifting myself up from the ground with my daggers drawn.

"Team Urameshi will be disqualified if one of their team members fights in this property." a woman's voice said behind me.

"Luck would have it that I'm not on the team then." I smirked, stepping closer to the elder Toguro.

Just as I was about to engage battle, three circular objects enclosed around my ankles, hips and arms, locking them to my sides. I was pulled to my right, out of the way before elder Toguro could get another hit on me. Strong arms caught me and the smell of booze was strong. I struggled to see where the elder Toguro was but I had a chest in my face. We were going up flights of stairs and fast.

"What the hell you guys?!" I demanded, even though my voice was a bit muffled.

"You're welcome!" Rinku laughed up ahead. The sound of a door opening was heard and was shut promptly after we entered. I was dumped on a green sofa.

"I knew ya were a crazy sheila but that stunt takes first place!" Chu admitted and plopped on the other green sofa across from where I was.

Rinku summoned his weapons back to him and I was free to sit up.

"It's nice to see some friendly faces." I smiled, keeping my right eye closed, not wanting my blood to sting my eye.

"I thought I was never going to see you again! Zeru said you probably got killed." Rinku sat next to me.

"Well, technically..." I stopped myself from delivering too much information. "He died before me, so I win." I gave a thumbs up to Rinku.

"I need ta know, what the HELL ya were thinkin? And of all times, the Dark Tournament?!" Chu exploded with his questions and reached for a bottle of sake.

"One of our teammates was killed." I admitted, looking down. "The younger Toguro killed her. And I...I wasn't there to assist her in battle." I clenched my right hand into a fist.

"Natsumi, ya know that I respect ya highly. You don't have th' power ya once did though." Chu said calmly, taking another swig of sake.

"Then maybe you two can help me." I said, looking at Rinku and then to Chu. "Rinku can help me with dodging and you teach me the drunken fighting style!"

Chu almost spit out his drink at my request. "I'm not about to waste alcohol because you can't handle it!"

"Look, it's the only way I can try to be powerful on short notice." I argued.

"Does your tattoos have something to do with it?" Rinku asked.

"Yes and no." I replied quickly.

Chu leaned over, putting his forearms on his knees and squinted at me. "Oi! Natsumi, you just got that, didn't you? The mark on your neck."

"Wait, what's a mark?" Rinku asked.

"Nothing that you need to worry about, and certainly not now." I shot Chu a warning glance.

"A mark is when a male demon and a female demon finally consummate their monogamous relationship." Chu began, his smile spreading wider as he finished explaining.

"Is it necessary to give you "the talk" right now to Rinku?" I asked.

"Whhahaa? So you're not single?" Rinku looked up at me in disbelief.

"No." I said gently and smiled. _Although it feels like it. _"Don't worry Rinku, you will meet a beautiful girl that is age appropriate and you start your courtship there."

"Yeah! Then ya get ta have the fun that Natsumi experienced!." Chu blurted out laughing.

"Ha-ha." I said with a straight face, a slight blush rising to my face as I recalled what happened earlier.

"Is it possible for me to get a shower? I really need one." I changed the subject, as I wiped the blood drop that was trickling down my cheek.

"Of course! Help yourself." Chu motioned to where the bathroom was.

Rinku volunteered to get all the shirts he could find. I ended up choosing a blue shirt that used to be Zeru's to spite Zeru's spirit and Hiei.

Closing the bathroom door and locking it behind me, I turned on the shower and waited for the water to get hot. Stepping into the shower, I stood for a few minutes letting the water fall down on me. All I could think about was Hiei's cold response to my question regarding us. The lump in my throat returned and I choked on a silent sob. I leaned my right shoulder on the shower wall and ran my right hand through my hair, stopping at the back of my head. I dug my nails into my scalp as I willed myself to stop thinking about him. _He wouldn't have done this if I were weak. He wouldn't have chosen me if he didn't see strength or qualities that he values. So why am I taking his reply this hard? Stop feeling sorry for yourself and set him straight!_ I ordered myself. I nodded to myself and blinked, feeling incredibly feeble before my whole world turned black.

Hiei's POV

Natsumi had left some time ago and I began training after she was out of sight. Exhausted, I took a break by sitting on a branch in a tree. As I rested my back and head against the trunk, all of the memories from earlier were playing in my head.

_Natsumi's passion was definitely a wildfire. I was finally able to get her in the moment. However, when that moment was over, all of her fears, failures and disappointments came flooding back. Apparently her rival doesn't know that I am the dragon. That's interesting that she refuses to tell but surely he isn't that dimwitted to not notice. How interesting, and ironic, that I killed Dragon's son. _

_The image changes to after we were finished. How beautiful Natsumi looked with her hair wild, her eyes expressing every emotion that I feel for her but will never say. How content we were in that moment before I heard a noise that interrupted me in my aftercare for her. I made sure she left, completely unaware that I knew her rival had watched us, or heard us. It was insensitive but necessary. Had she known that he was there, she would've locked her soul away in that seed. I'll give her time to cool off and see if I can make it up to her._

I came out of my thoughts as my eyes spotted a dark portal from the ground and Natsumi's rival stepped out.

"I was fond of getting the girls to give themselves up to me before killing them. But you," he paused and turned his head up to see me in the tree, "have done something that gives me excitement."

"I'm not here to entertain you." I got up and jumped down to confront him.

"Oh, you two were very entertaining. I can't decide which was my favorite part. But getting her to give herself up and then to tear down everything she's ever built up for you is fantastic."

I clenched my right fist. This guy is more disgusting than Kuwabara.

"I know you knew I was there. Do you like to give free shows? Or perhaps, you were protecting her from me?" he broke out into a grin.

"Hn. Looks like I'll charge at the door next time." I clenched my teeth, watching for this stranger's move.

"It must be your sense of humor that gets all the girls. I'm Keisuke, Chieftain of the Shattered Skull clan."

"Your clan got wiped out by the only other surviving member. You're hardly a chieftain." I scoffed.

Keisuke continued to maintain a calm gaze. "He says that you're the Dragon, but I don't see any indication that you are."

"There is only one way to find out." I unclenched my right fist and drew out my katana.

"I do enjoy a good match. Natsumi's been getting so weak, I can take her out in a couple of hits." Keisuke laughed and readied himself with both axes.

That comment had triggered me and I narrowed my eyes. "If I win, you leave her alone, indefinitely."

Keisuke's eyes lit up. "Very well. If I win, she's mine. I won't kill you for your mark to go away. Everyday and every time I take her I want you to be reminded by it." Keisuke smiled wickedly. "Do we have a bet?"

I nodded. I then charged forward and began my attack on Keisuke. I dodged both axes as they demolished the nearby trees. Suddenly, Keisuke threw one of his axes and I managed to narrowly avoid it. The ax lodged itself in a tree, cracking the trunk vertically. I hated to admit Keisuke was wielding extraordinary power. I led Keisuke on a chase to where the beach was. I figured I could slow him down if I changed the terrain.

"You forgot your other ax." I taunted as I slashed at him six times.

"Forget is an ugly word. However, I don't need it to deal with you." Keisuke countered all of my slashes with one ax, looking me in the eyes and grinning. He was quick, for one that could dual wield two two-handed axes. I was rapidly realizing that if this is what Natsumi has been facing all of these times, she was much stronger than she leads everyone to believe. I had to win this, not only for her, but for my sanity as well. The thought that I had failed her, had made a bet with her life without her consent was the constant factor that kept me focused.

"You're making this an easy win, I feel some regret you underestimated me." I goaded.

"I suppose you're right." Keisuke remained completely calm, his tone sinister as he swung his ax in a perfect circle.

The battle between us raged on and the climax was about to hit. Keisuke summoned his shadows and I was trying to summon Dragon.

"_Come out Dragon! We need to end this!" _

"_You don't have enough power to summon me. Do not disturb me anymore until you can feed me."_

"_Obey me Dragon, now is not the time!"_

Dragon ignored my summoning and I was left with using my Jagan eye and the darkness flame to combat any of Keisuke's attacks. A massive black blur was speeding towards me and I threw myself out of its way, as well as Keisuke's shadows.

"You were right, I was making this too easy for you. Perhaps you were the one to underestimate me?" Keisuke began to laugh. "You can barely dodge my one ax and shadows. You're weaker than Natsumi."

My pride stung and swelled as my ego took a hit but the recognition that my mate was strong rose my spirit. _Of course she is, that is why I selected her. Keisuke was right, I am barely dodging his attacks and I haven't scratched him at all. I cannot lose her. I refuse to lose to him._ My desperation grew as I had to dodge multiple shadow spikes as well as Keisuke's axes. There was only one thing I could think of, the one deity that could help me in this time; Phoenix. I would have to ask her to keep this from Natsumi, of course. It was my only shot at saving Natsumi from my pride and Keisuke's pleasure. Remembering how Phoenix had hit me twice, I used my Jagan to call out to Phoenix and only her.

"_Phoenix."_

_Like a song floating in the wind, Phoenix appeared before me, not as Natsumi, but as her true self._

"_It seems you're in quite a predicament." A grim expression was in her eyes._

"_You are sworn to save Natsumi, I need to you to save her from me." _

_Phoenix paused,tilting her head to the left before nodding. "I see. I can't promise you a win, but we won't lose."_

My left arm began to tingle; a prickling sensation before it slowly turned into a rolling burn. I continued dodging various obstacles as my left hand felt like it was being dipped into an active volcano. _Is this what Natsumi experiences every time she uses Phoenix's power?_

_Phoenix laughed inside of my head, a sweet, melodic tune that seemed to linger in the air._

"_This is but a small fraction of my power. However, Natsumi will feel the effects of some of my power lost. The best advice I can offer you is this; Once you attune yourself to Dragon, he can never deny you. Now, Hiei! It's time to strike!"_

Keisuke was coming straight at me. His shadow spikes launched up from the ground like hellish spikes. I warped behind him, striking my left fist into Keisuke's left side of his back. A bright, white light emitted from my fist and struck through Keisuke. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. As Keisuke fell forward, he turned his body so he was facing me and shot his spikes straight at me. I couldn't dodge them all and felt them tear into my arms and legs. I landed on the ground a few feet where Keisuke was lying on his back. I landed to the ground, my left knee taking the brunt of my fall.

"We...are tied." Keisuke sputtered out, making a portal and disappearing into the night.

I used my demon energy to heal myself after resting a few minutes. I could feel Phoenix inside of me still, her power seemed like it was growing in me. I felt Natsumi's energy drop somewhere near the hotel and I lost my temper. My anger flared as I felt Dragon moving around in my arm. Before I knew it, I was throwing my right arm into rocks and trees, anything that I could find to teach Dragon a lesson for failing me. That fight should have ended before it ever began, yet Dragon refused to help, so I will punish him as well as myself. Never again will I doubt Natsumi's abilities. _How could I be such a fool?!_ One thing was certain, Natsumi needed to fight Keisuke and win. This is her war to win, not mine.

After punishing my arm and myself for a good while, I felt Yusuke's energy near the cliffs by the ocean. I took my time to walk there, testing his energy waves every chance I got. I made my way on over, hiding behind a boulder when Kuwabara came tumbling down the cliff's edge.

"You forget how to walk?" Yusuke turned around, teasing Kuwabara.

"Someone should put a sign up there." Kuwabara said, rubbing his head with his right hand.

Yusuke put his hands on his hips. "Hey Genius! You gonna say something or just stare?!"

Kuwabara scrambled to his feet to stand across from Yusuke. "Your bad attitude isn't going to ruin my good day, because I found my secret weapon! And here it is! My totally fresh bad guy slicing and dicing mega awesome super sword!"

"Do you think it's possible that you could shut up?" I made my presence known by stepping out behind the boulder.

"Eee!" Kuwabara squealed.

"Hey Hiei." Yusuke greeted me.

"You really shouldn't sneak up on someone who's holding the World's most powerful sword!" Kuwabara looked down at me and noticed my arm. "Ahhh! Eww! Eww! What the heck happened to your arm?!"

I turned my right arm up, my hand facing me. "It wouldn't obey when I gave it a specific command, so I decided it needed to be punished."

Kuwabara laughed nervously. "Okay yeah, he's weird. Way too much information for me! Let's stick to something safe like where is Kurama?"

"Kuwabara, I've been standing next to you for some time now." Kurama was standing in the spot where Kuwabara had fallen. "A bit nervous, are we?" Kurama smirked at Kuwabara's uneasiness.

"Alright then! Now we just need to find the old lady!" Kuwabara declared.

The three of us remained quiet, Kuwabara breaking the silence."So, uh, has anybody seen her?"

"She's not coming." Yusuke said flatly. "She's not well, she just needs sometime to rest."

"Uhh, okay?" Kuwabara said, before turning around towards the hotel. "Well, we should probably turn in and get a good night's rest." He began to walk towards the hotel. Yusuke gave Kurama and me a nod before following Kuwabara and walking together with him.

"You shouldn't beat yourself up for failing to harness the power of a God." Kurama broke the silence and walked up to my left side, watching the two human boys walk out of sight.

I clenched my left hand into a fist and looked off to where the hotel was. "Failing to protect someone is worse that failing yourself."

Kurama crossed his arms across his chest and looked down at me. "Speaking of that, why aren't you with her right now?"

I looked to my left, meeting his eyes. "You speak as if I need to be around her at all times."

Kurama let out a breath. "You marked Natsumi tonight. I'm assuming what you don't know is that you must be with her for five hours at least."

"If I did, why would I need to do that?" I shifted my weight to my left side, unclenching my fist and shoving my left hand in my pocket.

"Simply put; with your mark you made a pact with her that you would be at her side both in strength and weakness. The mark leaves her vulnerable to attacks and other demons that might want to take her for their own." Kurama uncrossed his arms and put his hands in his pockets. "I know Natsumi wouldn't let that happen and would most likely kill any other demon that tried to advance on her. Given her current situation with the Seed and now with the mark..." he paused, looking up towards the sky and let out another breath. "I wonder if she can even stand up at this point."

Kurama's words had struck a point in me as I remembered feeling Natsumi's energy completely drop. _Shit._ "She made it to the hotel without incident, I'm sure she can handle herself." I straightened myself out and stared ahead of me.

"Of course she can, that's not what I'm questioning. I'm asking more about what trouble she often finds herself getting into." Kurama glanced down at me and half-smiled.

"Your sickening sweet ways of trying to get me to care aren't working but you are correct. Trouble always seems to know where she is." I unwrapped my white bandana from my forehead and activated my Jagan eye. The eye was racing through the hotel rooms, searching for my new mate. The eye had passed through the girls' room, and I stopped my search to check in on Yukina. There she was, sleeping peacefully on a bed while Keiko and Kuwabara's sister shared the other bed. I focused myself to continue to search for Natsumi and her energy. After floors and floors of looking, I had finally found her. Two male demons from Team Rokuyukai were standing over her while she was laying on a bed, wearing only a large blue shirt, writhing in agony.

"_Chu, what's happening to her?" the child spoke, looking up with worry at the taller demon._

_The other demon shook his head. "I have no clue."_

Closing my Jagan eye, I cut off the connection on where Natsumi was located in the hotel. I wrapped my bandana around my head and looked in Kurama's direction. "Your meddling accomplished nothing, she is fine." It wasn't a complete lie. I felt Dragon move around in my right forearm and I tightened my jaw. "I have something that needs my urgent attention." I gave a quick nod to Kurama before racing to my training spot near the beach.

Dragon initiated the conversation with me once I arrived at my destination.

"_You still are acrid about the battle earlier." Dragon commented._

"_You failed to help me protect her. Your mate as well as mine." I shot back._

_Dragon formed his image in my head, his power making my head throb._

"_You, Hiei Jaganshi, were worried about another being?" Dragon fought his grin as I clenched my teeth and braced myself as he powered himself more._

"_Hn. Whatever the reason, I was the one who-" _

"_I know what you had to do to accomplish that tie with Keisuke. I need to hear it from you. If you cast away your pride, you may have all of my power."_

_Phoenix's words repeated themselves in my head. "Very well. By attuning myself to you and you to me, I hereby swear that I will eradicate any threat. With mine and your power, the Dragon shall live as freely as the Phoenix."_

_I didn't know how I knew the words or what to say but that sufficed. Dragon roared inside of my head, causing my physical body to drop to the ground. I felt as Dragon's power coursed over my body, every ounce that was being pulled from the Underworld into my soul. There was no pain. In fact, I found myself grinning, as I got up from the ground and surveyed the area around me with my new eyesight from Dragon. _

The world around me looked as if color were more vibrant. I was able to pick up any sounds and movements from various things in the night. My right arm began to pulse every few seconds. Starting from my right hand and wrapping around my arm was a black dragon that appeared. I grabbed the bandage that Hisato had given and began to wrap my right arm, hiding proof that I am now the Dragon. Once the mark was covered, I set off towards the hotel, intent on retrieving Natsumi.


End file.
